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Affordability of Electricity to Rural Consumers in Tanzania: An Elephant in the Room?

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dc.contributor.author Muhihi, Bikolimana G.
dc.date.accessioned 2024-10-01T08:11:43Z
dc.date.available 2024-10-01T08:11:43Z
dc.date.issued 2024
dc.identifier.citation Muhihi, B. G. (2024). Affordability of electricity to rural consumers in Tanzania: An elephant in the room?. Interdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies, 6, 1- 20. https://doi.org/10.38140/ijrcs-2024.vol6.02 en_US
dc.identifier.issn 2710-2572 2024
dc.identifier.uri http://repository.mocu.ac.tz/xmlui/handle/123456789/1459
dc.description A full article from the collection of Community and Rural Development en_US
dc.description.abstract Affordability of electricity in rural areas has received negligible concern, yet with equivocal information. Thus, this paper extrapolates this disregarded aspect by raising empirical debates on the affordability of electricity connection and consumption while also predicting the factors of domestic electrical appliances among rural consumers. Affordability of electricity connection was measured by a catastrophic approach through the index of utility Price Income Ratio (PIR) at a threshold of 10%. Consumption affordability was estimated through PIR at a 5% share of household income, coupled with a monthly basic electricity consumption of 30 kWh per household. A multiple regression model was adopted to determine electrical appliance ownership in the household. The paper reveals that electricity connection was not affordable to consumers in the lowest income quintile (61.76%), who spent up to 33% of their income. On consumption, electricity was affordable as consumers spent no more than 5% of their household income. Moreover, the paper explains that electricity affordability and the desire for wellbeing motivate consumers to use domestic electrical appliances. Measuring the affordability of energy has a paucity in the energy literature. Thus, the paper provides insight into the present debate regarding affordability measures. Although the paper uniquely uncovers the affordability of electricity connection and consumption as prime factors for policy consideration, energy policy should also consider that affordability does not end at connection; rather, it extends to consumption. Energy policy must prioritise free technical services for rural power connection and subsidise consumption costs for the economically disadvantaged. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Interdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies en_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries Vol. 6;
dc.subject Rural en_US
dc.subject Electricity en_US
dc.subject Connection en_US
dc.subject Consumption en_US
dc.subject Affordability en_US
dc.subject Appliances en_US
dc.subject Tanzania. en_US
dc.title Affordability of Electricity to Rural Consumers in Tanzania: An Elephant in the Room? en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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