The role of household and community infrastructures in mitigating energy poverty in Africa: Between and within urban and rural areas

Energy poverty persists as a critical challenge across African countries, and infrastructural conditions have become important in mitigating its severity. This study examines associations between energy poverty and infrastructures at the household and community levels in 28 African countries. We construct multidimensional energy poverty (MEP) and infrastructure indices and visualize their spatial patterns using a Bayesian hierarchical model. Regression models estimate the effects of multilevel infrastructure conditions on household MEP. To account for variation in infrastructure–MEP relationships across urbanizing contexts, we conduct subgroup analyses across four settlement types: large cities, small and medium-sized cities, rural towns, and rural villages. Spatial analysis shows substantial disparities in MEP that align closely with patterns of infrastructure conditions. Regression results reveal that higher levels of household and community infrastructures are associated with lower MEP, and the relationship is stronger for community infrastructure. The magnitude of these associations varies across settlement types. Community infrastructure has a larger effect on MEP in rural towns and villages, whereas household infrastructure has a larger effect on MEP in large cities. In small and medium-sized cities, the effect sizes of household and community infrastructures are comparable. Nighttime light intensity used as a proxy for broader electrification environments is also associated with lower MEP. These findings suggest that multilevel infrastructures are critical for alleviating energy poverty, and their roles differ across settlement contexts. Policy implications include the importance of cross-sectoral infrastructure planning responsive to settlement conditions, with particular attention to marginalized populations across urbanizing and rural areas.