In many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa energy sector planning has long been something of a paradoxical exercise in the context of modern as opposed to traditional fuels in the economy. Although essential to the functioning of society, modern fuels generally account for only 15 to 40 percent of total energy consumption. However, since they are inseparable from modern methods of energy transformation and use, these modern fuels absorb virtually all investments in the energy sector. Traditional fuels, on the other hand, although they occupy a dominant place in the overall energy balance and in the consumption of households, have received little in the way of planning and policy making attention and investments. In low-income countries such as Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, the household sector accounts for more than 80 percent of total energy consumption and projections call for this rate of consumption to continue into the 21 st century.
Traditional energy affects women s lives in several key areas.
Health More than half of the world s households cook daily with wood, crop residues and untreated coal, exposing primarily women and children to indoor air pollution. Acute respiratory infections, chronic obstructive lung diseases, low birth weights, lung cancer and eye problems are often attributable to this practice. For example, changes in food preparation occur when women have less time for cooking due to an increase in the amount of time spent in fuelwood collection. Women will cook fewer meals, which means that families will eat cold or reheated leftovers and more processed foods. This results in a less healthy diet.