Women in Renewable Energy Cooperatives: Gendered Transitions and Rural Electrification

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 153–166

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001306

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Women in Renewable Energy Cooperatives: Gendered Transitions and Rural Electrification

Names of Author: Aisha Abdullahi¹, Claire Beaumont², & Kenji Takahashi³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Centre for Energy and Sustainable Development, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; ²School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; ³Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

Abstract:
Decentralized solar mini-grids and clean cooking technologies are widely hailed as essential pathways for achieving universal energy access and decarbonization across rural Africa and Asia. Yet energy infrastructure projects frequently treat women merely as passive household consumers rather than technical operators, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. Patriarchal norms surrounding technical expertise and unequal access to startup capital often exclude women from governance roles within community energy utilities. This paper investigates how women-led solar energy cooperatives reshape gendered divisions of labor and local governance in rural Ghana and Nepal. Utilizing a feminist political ecology framework, the study analyzes cooperative financial records alongside qualitative interviews with 48 female solar technicians and community leaders. The results demonstrate that training women in solar maintenance and cooperative management not only improves energy reliability for rural clinics and schools, but also challenges entrenched stereotypes regarding women’s technological competence.

Keywords: Renewable energy, women’s cooperatives, rural electrification, feminist political ecology, gender and technology, sustainable development, Ghana, Nepal

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 12, 2026; Revised: August 15, 2026; Accepted: August 19, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Abdullahi, A., Beaumont, C., & Takahashi, K. (2026). Women in Renewable Energy Cooperatives: Gendered Transitions and Rural Electrification. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 153–166. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001306

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