Working Paper 312

Domestic Use Versus Income Generating Activities in Delivering Modern Energy to Rural Botswana

Joseph E. Mbaiwa

Executive Summary

This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the provision of modern energy in the rural areas using Botswana as a case study. The study emanates form a broader government objective of providing essential services such as energy to the rural population. The study reviews the current strategies used by the government to provide modern energy to rural areas and in the process assess the efficiency and shortcomings. The paper relied more on secondary data sources and a review of previous studies on rural energy development in Botswana. Results indicate that previous government attempts aimed at providing modern energy to rural areas targeted household or domestic use without much consideration for income generating activities. This approach resulted in the low dissemination of modern energy to rural areas. However this paper argues that income-generating activities may accelerate the process of providing modern energy to rural areas. Income generating activities can provide the rural population with the necessary income to purchase modern energy as well as create demand for modern energy utilisation hence making provision of energy in rural areas a viable option. The distribution of modern energy to rural areas is perceived to be necessary as it has the potential to eradicate poverty and contribute to sustainable rural livelihoods particularly if energy is used for income generating activities.

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