Renewable energy transitions and gender justice: Women’s empowerment through solar mini-grids in rural Nigeria

This paper explores how renewable energy transitions can promote gender justice, especially women empowerment by relying on solar mini-grids in rural Nigeria. The current energy systems comprising heavily of diesel generators and biomass are expensive, unstable, and unsustainable to the environment overly burdening the low-income households and women. In comparison, solar mini-grids are more inclusive as well as cleaner sources of power and are in line with some global development objectives, including SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy). The study points to some of the major social advantages such as; time poverty should be reduced, women should have more chances to be entrepreneurs, and family and community decision-making need to be more inclusive. It further looks at the barriers that have been persistent like affordability, established gender norms, and poor policy frameworks. Using the example of rural electrification projects in Nigeria, and other similar examples in Kenya and Tanzania, the paper illustrates how decentralized solar systems could help uplift the livelihood of women. But their ultimate success will be a matter of conducive policies, financial inclusion policies and special investments on women technical and leadership skills. The paper finds that although solar mini-grids have massive potential, long-term gender-sensitive interventions are essential in making sure that mini-grids not only promote energy access but also social justice in rural Nigeria.