Energy Access for the Ultra-Poor in Malawi

This research paper examines the energy access gap between ultra-poor and better-off households in Malawi, specifically evaluating the impact of unconditional social cash transfers on the adoption of improved lighting and cookstoves.

• In 2017, energy access in rural Malawi was extremely low, with approximately 95% of the population lacking electricity and over 95% relying on solid fuels such as crop residues, charcoal, and firewood for cooking.
• Unconditional social cash transfers significantly improved energy access for ultra-poor households, making them more than three times as likely to own an improved cookstove and reducing the likelihood of having no lighting source in the home.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Energy Access for the Ultra-Poor in Malawi. https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-access-ultra-poor-malawi/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Energy Access for the Ultra-Poor in Malawi. 2021. https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-access-ultra-poor-malawi/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Energy Access for the Ultra-Poor in Malawi |date=4 January 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-access-ultra-poor-malawi/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021energy, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Energy Access for the Ultra-Poor in Malawi}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-access-ultra-poor-malawi/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }