81744 Expanding Women’s Role in Africa’s Modern Off-Grid Lighting Market Authors: Peter Alstone, Carmen Niethammer, Brendon Mendonça, and Adriana Eftimie October 4, 2011 Acknowledgements For this report, IFC’s Women in Business (WIN) Program partnered with the Lighting Africa program, a joint World Bank-IFC initiative, to assess the business case for a women-targeted approach to design- ing, financing and marketing off-grid lighting products. The authors’ institutional affiliations are: IFC (Carmen Niethammer), Schatz Energy Research Center (Peter Alstone and Brendon Mendonça), and World Bank (Adriana Eftimie). The authors are most grateful for the guidance received by Patrick Avato and Arthur Itotia Njagi (IFC). Thoughtful comments and suggestions enhanced the overall quality of this report. The report was peer- reviewed by Elizabeth Cecelski (ENERGIA) and benefited from valuable inputs provided by World Bank Group colleagues Katherine C. Heller, Tara Lonnberg, Carla Mavaddat, Juan Carlos Parra Osorio and Dana Rysankova. The authors would like to thank Lindsay Madeira for having edited the report. It can be difficult to provide services without good quality lighting. © Wilkens/Lighting Africa Cover photo: © Wilkens/Lighting Africa Design and Layout: Peter Alstone October 4, 2011 Lighting Africa http://www.lightingafrica.org 1 © 2011 Lighting Africa About Lighting Africa Lighting Africa, a joint IFC and World Bank program, seeks to accelerate the development of com- mercial off-grid lighting markets in Sub-Saharan Africa as part of the World Bank Group’s wider efforts to improve access to energy. Lighting Africa is helping mobilize the private sector to build sustainable markets to provide 2.5 million people with safe, affordable, and modern off-grid lighting by 2012. The longer-term goal is to eliminate market barriers for the private sector to reach 250 million people in Africa without electricity, and using fuel-based lighting, by 2030. Improved lighting provides significant socio-economic, health and environmental benefits such as new income generation opportunities for small businesses. Lighting Africa is a key element of the global Solar and LED Energy Access (SLED) program, an initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial. For more information, visit www.lightingafrica.org Lighting Africa is implemented in partnership with: The Africa Renewable Energy and Access Grants Program (AFREA), the Asia Sustainable and Alternative Energy Program (ASTAE), the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Good Energies, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), and the United States. About IFC IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclu- sively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, providing advisory services to businesses and governments, and mobilizing capital in the international financial markets. In fiscal 2011, amid economic uncertainty across the globe, we helped our clients create jobs, strengthen environmental performance, and contribute to their local communi- ties—all while driving our investments to an all-time high of nearly $19 billion. For more information, visit www.ifc.org. IFC’s Women in Business (WIN) program is housed within Sustainable Business Advisory and from there initiatives and programs are promoted that seek to leverage business opportunities from taking a gender view women in business across all advisory and investment services. A suite of IFC investment and advisory services has been developed in this context to increase access to finance and access to markets for women entrepreneurs, reduce gender-based barriers in the business environment, and cre- ate business opportunities built around improved working conditions for women employees. For more information, visit www.ifc.org/gender. About the World Bank The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance in developing countries world- wide, with a mission to help reduce global poverty and improve living standards. However, it is not a bank in the common understanding of the term. Rather, it is comprised of two unique development institutions owned by 185 member countries – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Develop- ment (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Each institution plays a different but supportive role. The IBRD focuses on middle income and creditworthy poor countries, while IDA focuses on the poor- est countries in the world. Together, they provide low-interest loans, interest-free credit, and grants to developing countries for education, health, infrastructure, communications, and many other purposes. The World Bank concentrates on building the climate for investment, jobs, and sustainable growth to enable economies to grow, and investing in and empowering poor people to participate in develop- ment. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org. 2 © 2011 Lighting Africa Executive Summary Lighting is a basic human need and, along with Adopting modern off-grid lighting can help bridge cooking, is a fundamental driver of fuel demand the energy gap until widespread electrification for low-income households in the developing catches up. It can also provide an additional and world. Women and men without access to reliable lighting source for those serviced by the electricity typically rely on expensive, inefficient electric grid, but who face frequent blackouts and hazardous lighting devices like kerosene and intermittent power, which is a common lamps and candles to bring light to their homes occurrence across much of the African continent. and businesses. The annual spending for fuel Some lighting products even provide additional based lighting worldwide approaches $40 billion, services beyond lighting, such as the ability to and a growing range of modern lighting products power small electronics like mobile phones, that incorporate innovative designs and business increasing the value proposition for women. models are gaining market share. Modern off- grid lighting devices combine the latest advances On the household level, women stand to benefit in clean energy technology (for example, solar, greatly from better lighting and energy access. LED, and advanced batteries) to provide a safe, Entrepreneurial women have a stake as well; efficient, affordable alternative to fuel based modern lighting and communications technology lighting. enables them to strengthen their enterprises. There are widespread efforts to expand access This report focuses on women’s role in the to conventional energy, but unfortunately the expanding market for modern off-grid lighting. expansion of electrification in many places, In the context of access to energy and lighting, and particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, is not the aim of this work is to identify whether there keeping pace with off-grid population growth. are any women-specific opportunities in the off- Infrastructure deficiencies aside, women in those grid lighting market that could enhance product countries sometimes face additional barriers to profitability while also improving lives. electrification including requests for bribes and longer waiting times for service. Fuel-based lighting like this wick lamp is Modern off-grid lighting products can offer expensive, inefficient and hazardous. more affordable, better quality light. ©Wilkens/Lighting Africa ©Wilkens/Lighting Africa 3 © 2011 Lighting Africa Drawing on a variety of sources, with a • Partner with and support women’s formal and particular emphasis on a Lighting Africa market informal networks, particularly for financing survey capturing impressions from over 5,000 but also for marketing and outreach, to enable households and 2,500 small enterprises across consumers to purchase your products. five Sub-Saharan African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, and Tanzania), the key • To drive demand, consider including messages findings are: about avoided smoke inhalation, an issue for women, men, and children alike. Agreement on Preferences: Women and men alike are ready for improved lighting, with small For governments and development institutions: differences related to their respective preferences • Find ways to support formal and informal for particular types of lighting products. financing frameworks to better reach women. Entrepreneurship: An approach that offers a • Explore synergies between improved cook range of lighting options for different contexts stoves (which are typically woman-centered) and needs is warranted for women and men and modern off-grid lighting. There may be alike. In the small business sector, there are opportunities to co-market the two products indications that women who use off-grid lighting in a way that leverages consumer-level (micro) have slightly different preferences than men; the finance for a multifunctional off-grid energy types of businesses women tend to operate drive platform that provides clean cooking, lighting, these preferences. and potentially other services like mobile phone charging as well. Key Buyers: Women hold significant sway in household decisions related to the purchase of • Ensure that effective tracking of gender data is lighting technology (20-50% depending on the part of day-to-day operations, including market country, ~35% across the five countries), which surveys, consumer outreach, and program underscores the importance of reaching women monitoring and evaluation. There are key lessons- with marketing and educational messages. learned in this area included in the Annexes. Health Concerns: Increased awareness of the • At the policy level, identify and address practical indoor air pollution health risks caused by fuel solutions to women’s constraints to gain access based lighting is stimulating demand for clean to off-grid lighting, and in parallel access to the alternatives in many countries. The issue could grid. Policies may help support women’s access be used as a key message in marketing and to electricity (grid and off-grid). consumer education campaigns. For financial institutions: Financing Gap: Access to finance – with a focus on womens’ finance – is a key to the development • Consider reaching the women’s market through of the off-grid lighting market. Financing targeted products and services, a specific outreach opportunities and frameworks are often different strategy, and possibly financial and management for women than for men with opportunities for skills courses. women often relying more on informal networks and lending groups. • Partner with women groups to assist with market outreach and leverage financial risk (for example, Meeting women’s needs with modern off-grid group lending, “micro consignment”). lighting technology will require stakeholders across the value chain to take action. • At the SME level, aid women and men who are distributors/resellers with distributor financing. For manufacturers and distributors: • Explore mobile banking and the potential • Evaluate your approach to selling to women; added value of linking mobile technology with they are a significant part of the market and have off-grid lighting products that can charge mobile decision-making power. phones. 4 © 2011 Lighting Africa Background: Energy and Development Nearly one in four people worldwide do not have ac- cess to reliable, affordable, modern energy services. While grid extension and expanded access to modern Without access, their productivity and economic op- energy are increasing in many countries around the portunities are very limited and they face economic and world and resulting in significant improvements in public health hardships from reliance on expensive, human development, the case in Sub-Saharan Africa dirty fuel-based technology for lighting and cooking. is akin to demand outstripping supply: electrification efforts cannot currently compete with population In Sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated $10 billion is growth, resulting in a smaller and smaller percentage spent annually on hazardous and low quality fuel based of the population that is actually being served by the lighting products, providing little value in return.i Fuel electric grid. The rising population of over 590 million based lighting is not only expensive, but contributes to off-grid women and men in Africa presents both an inordinate levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, enormous challenge and opportunity. indoor air pollution (IAP), and is a fire hazard. One way to improve living conditions is to increase Additionally, nearly half of the world’s households access to clean and reliable off-grid alternatives until cook daily with wood, crop residues and untreated grid expansion catches up with population growth and coal.ii Women often bear the difficult and sometimes the quality of grid-based electricity access improves dangerous responsibility of collecting fuel wood. Open (for instance, with reduced initial connection costs, fires and unimproved cookstoves are also the leading improved reach, fewer service interruptions and bet- source of exposure for many women and children to ter quality power). Herein lies the importance and unhealthy indoor air pollution (IAP), which can lead opportunity of the modern off-grid lighting market, to acute respiratory infections among other ailments. and the part of the rationale behind the market ac- Globally, IAP is responsible for an estimated 2 million celeration interventions offered by the Lighting Africa deaths annually. Fuel based lighting can lead to signifi- Program, which acts as a catalyst to support private cant levels of exposure as well, and is the number two sector development of commercial markets for quality source of IAP in developing world households.iii modern lighting. Fuel-based Off-Grid Lighting Technology Fuel based lighting includes a range of technologies, some of which are pictured here. These include relatively clean burning and very bright pressurized lamps, hurricane lamps that have a glass globe around the wick, tin lamps that have uncovered wicks and are often manufactured “locally” out of reclaimed containers, and candles. Kerosene is the most com- mon liquid fuel, but others like diesel are sometimes used. © Peter Alstone 5 © 2011 Lighting Africa Modern Off-grid Lighting Technology comes in a variety of designs: Fixed Indoor Products with Multiple Light Points. Among off-grid lighting products, fixed indoor products with multiple light points are some of the most costly but also provide high levels of lighting service. These lights have a central battery pack, a solar panel with a long cord so that the panel can be put outside to charge, and multiple light points that can be distributed around the house wherever they are needed. Often, one can also charge a mobile phone or listen to the radio using the product, adding valuable additional energy services. © Philips Portable Products with external solar modules: These lights include the battery in the same package as the light source, making them portable. Like many modern solar lighting products, the batteries can often alternatively be recharged with grid power. Some models also include the ability to recharge mobile phones. Some portable products have a fixed LED, while others include a gooseneck. © Research International © Solux-ev 6 © 2011 Lighting Africa Flashlight. Flashlights (also known as torches) can be recharged with either integrated solar modules or via grid power. Levels of quality vary greatly in this segment. Many low-cost, poorly made LED flash- lights dominate the options available in the marketplace. The presence of these low-quality LED lights has the potential to lead to market spoiling for the other segments of LED lighting as well, which could pose an imminent threat to development of the sector. © Research International © Research International Gender Dimensions The role of women in the energy sector of the de- on gender and sustainable energy. Some excerpts from veloping world is often overlooked or misinterpreted. Cecelski’s work are highlighted below: This is often due to a lack of information, awareness, and tangible action plans for development institutions “Energy policy and practice have moved in the past decades and the private sector alike. This report aims to push from a focus purely on technical supply issues (i.e., how to forward the conversation about filling those gaps for extend the lines and build the power plants) to embrace the off-grid lighting market. a broad range of new approaches. Rising concerns over the relationships between energy and environment have led to more focus on the role of energy consumers, socio- The evidence of the impacts of electricity access on economic factors in technology adoption, and impacts on households (especially by gender) is scattered, shallow, people. Now that people are more part of the energy equa- and patchy with a persistent lack of advanced planning tion, women are becoming more visible too.”v for careful impact evaluations. There is great predomi- nance of “gray literature” dealing with energy-gender Research by Cecelski also delved into household dy- relationships but few rigorous impact evaluations.iv namics: Most research that has been done on gender and en- ergy, including on lighting, suggests men and women “...women and men often show a considerable difference have different access to energy resources, with gender- in their perception of benefits of new energy technology. differentiated impacts at the individual, household, For example, in India where the different perceptions were and community levels. analyzed with regard to use of biogas, men were more con- cerned about faster cooking and timely meals, while women A number of good reports on gender and energy have attached considerable importance also to the smoke-free been issued in the last decade by Elizabeth Cecelski, a environment in the kitchen and other associated health benefits. These differing perceptions are not necessarily in researcher with ENERGIA, the international network conflict; women’s and men’s interests in uses of energy tech- 7 © 2011 Lighting Africa nologies may complement one another. Nonetheless, these does seem to increase with income.” differences have implications for end uses and marketing.”vi In another field study, René Massé reported in an In a 2004 study, Douglas Barnes used an Energy Sec- “Energy, Poverty and Gender (EnPoGen) Study in Sri tor Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) Lanka” that electrification reduced the time women Energy Survey to explore the effect of electrification spent on household activities, which resulted in in- on women’s lives in rural India.vii The study indicates creased leisure time shared with their families.viii that electrification reduced the amount of time spent by women on household chores and increased their In spite of the benefits of electrification, due to vari- leisure time; “Compared to women in households ous socio-economic reasons women are often disad- without electricity, they (women in households with vantaged in the energy access equation. Studies have electricity) spend less time collecting fuels, fetching shown that women have lower access to finance and water, and cooking, and instead spend more time on energy-related services than men in many African earning an income, reading, and watching television”. countries. For example, data from the World Bank The survey results also indicated that electrification in- Group’s Enterprise Surveyix shows that access to grid creased the time women spent on reading through the electricity for women-headed businesses is generally day; “… it would seem that high quality lighting, made impeded compared to men. In all 5 countries of focus possible by having electricity, makes it more likely that in this report, more woman-operated firms give bribes women will read in the evening regardless of their in- to secure an electrical connection (Figure 1). Women come class although the amount of time spent reading also often suffer significant delays when trying to Expectation to give gifts to get electrical Male Delay in obtaining Male connection Female electrical connection Female 50 160 45 140 40 120 Delay (days) 35 Percent 30 100 25 80 20 60 15 40 10 20 5 0 0 6) 7) 7) 6) 7) 6) 7) 7) 6) 7) 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 (2 (2 (2 (2 (2 (2 (2 (2 (2 (2 ia na a a a ia na a ia a ny ni bi ny bi op op n ha ha za m za m Ke Ke hi hi Za G Za n G n Et Et Ta Ta Figure 1: Enterprise survey results: percent of Figure 2: Enterprise survey results: length of wait firms expected to give a gift (in other words, a for obtaining an electrical connectionx bribe) to get an electrical connectionxi 8 © 2011 Lighting Africa obtain an electrical connection, often (but not always) economics—in order to promote domestic uses of needing to wait much longer for their electrical con- electricity.xii nection than men (Figure 2). Unfortunately the lessons of the past are not always Women can take an active role in helping policy makers carried forward. For instance, in a 2002 study focused formulate programs to help increase women’s access on Zambia, Chandi found that many energy sector to electricity (grid and off-grid), and have been doing policies did not involve women at the policy formula- so for decades. For example, the rural electrification tion level.xiii However, when gender issues were incor- experience in the United States in the early 1930s had porated at the project design stage, the projects that a targeted outreach to women. “…the American were reviewed had greater end-user acceptability, initi- electricity sector developed itself [successfully] by ated more income-generating activities, and increased heavily involving women, in large private utilities as input and output in entrepreneurial activities.xiv well as in grassroots cooperatives, at the central and regional level, in executive management as well as in Women are both important beneficiaries and key field extension.” The National Electric Light Associa- facilitators of successful energy access programs. tion, a private sector organization, encouraged utilities to recruit women—especially women trained in home Women are key users of off-grid lighting in the household and stand to benefit from access to modern alternatives. © Jamie Seno/Lighting Africa 9 © 2011 Lighting Africa Purpose, Objective, and Methods Given that grid access will remain limited for the foreseeable future in Sub-Saharan Africa and women headed firms face more obstacles in accessing the grid, a women-targeted approach to designing, financing and marketing off-grid lighting products gains special importance. In the context of access to energy and lighting, the aim of this work is to identify whether there are any Ethiopia women-specific opportunities in the off-grid lighting Ghana market that could enhance product profitability and Kenya development impacts. Tanzania Do women entrepreneurs or women-headed households operate in any way differently to their Zambia male counterparts that would inform a different approach for the off-grid lighting market? This report draws mainly on an off-grid lighting market research dataset collected by Research International at the request of Lighting Africa in 2008.xv The data are focused on five countries, Ethiopia, Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, and Tanzania, with equal emphasis on each. Across the five countries, 5,000 households and 2,500 small enterprises were surveyed with a focus on light- “Roughly 80 percent of the households in the countries ing. Households and businesses from rural and urban included in the research are not connected to the electric grid. In total, this leads to approximately 40 million off-grid areas were randomly chosen and the interviewees were households in the five countries. Research International the head or main decision maker. The focus of the identified a total potential demand for modern lighting survey was off grid households/businesses. The gen- products greater than 50 million units among them; it is split der of the survey participant did not influence selec- between several product types and price points. Potential tion of a household/business or the type of questions sales to households that are currently connected to the grid that were asked during the interview. The raw data are are also high due to the poor reliability of grid power in freely available at www.lightingafrica.org. these countries.”xvi Additionally, 100 urban and rural households partici- Undoubtedly, women have an important share in this pated in an in-home trial portion of the research that potentially large market for modern off-grid lighting. resulted in a deeper understanding of end-user pref- erences and provided anecdotal support to the larger Combining the quantitative and qualitative data dataset. from market research with supporting informa- tion and analysis lead to five key messages about The main goals of the market research were to inform women in the off-grid lighting context. They the suitability of different types of lighting market include insights on preference for lighting, the needs devices, to determine their potential in the African of off-grid entrepreneurs, womens’ decision-making market, to identify the socioeconomic situation, access power, health concerns about fuel-based lighting, and and use of energy and other services, and to establish the need for financing. general consumer preferences related to lighting. The data have already been the subject of other works, which reported the following general findings: 10 © 2011 Lighting Africa Preferences: Women and men alike are ready for improved lighting, with small differences related to the preferences for types of products. Overall the market research indicates that both women some respondents. and men desire higher performance lighting products than those that are currently in use and that modern Over 30 percent of the household respondents in lighting products will be well received. In the house- Zambia, Kenya and Ghana choose a solar lantern as hold survey, respondents were asked to name their pre- their preferred lighting product. In Zambia and Ethio- ferred type of lighting. Solar powered lanterns, light pia, there was also a strong preference for light bulbs, bulbs, and battery-powered lanterns were commonly with around 25 percent of the respondents choosing identified, all of which are modern lighting products them as their preferred source of light. (Figure 3). Among the familiar fuel-based lighting products, a paraffin (kerosene) lamp with glass cover The preferences of women and men respondents were was also a popular choice in all the countries except generally similar in all the five countries surveyed. In Zambia, reflecting an embrace of the status quo by Kenya and Tanzania women and men preferred paraf- What is your preferred type of light, excluding grid-powered light bulbs? Male Female Ethiopia 60% 40% 20% 0% Ghana Zambia Kenya Figure 3: Lighting Preference for women Tanzania and men (household respondents in mar- ket research dataset, n=5,000) Solar Kerosene Pressure Light bulb Battery powered lamp with lamp connected powered lantern glass cover (kerosene) to car batt. lantern 11 © 2011 Lighting Africa fin lamps whereas in Zambia women preferred light bulbs more often than men. Both women and men desire higher performance lighting products. While the general differences in preference for house- hold lighting do not cut across gender lines, there were distinct regional differences in the results. This high- lights the need for approaches to modern lighting that recognize the geographic diversity of the market. Moreover, women and men demonstrated slightly different preferences when it came to choosing from the variety of off-grid lighting products they were exposed to during the in-home trials. While both women and men preferred fixed, multi-point lighting systems, there was slightly greater preference among men for lights with a more portable design like that of a flashlight (Figure 4). The finding somewhat reinforces the notion that for men it is more of a priority that off-grid lighting be portable and facilitate activities outside the home at night. However, the relatively small sample size (n=100) prevents us from making any conclusions in that regard. © Jamie Seno/Lighting Africa Out of the two products you tested in your Male home, which do you prefer? Female 40% 30% 20% Figure 4: Modern 10% lighting type prefer- ence for women and men after in-home trials (from market 0% research, n=100) Solar Fixed Grid-charge Solar Task Solar Fixed Solar Ultra- Multi-lamp Flashlight Light Multi-lamp Portable System 1 System 2 Ambient Light 12 © 2011 Lighting Africa © Peter Alstone “I lack bright lights most because of what I have just explained earlier. I like teaching or helping my children with their homework at night because I do not have time for them during the day as I spend it at the market selling vegetable and kapenta. Even my son I talked about left because he could not manage to study using candles that we use to light our house at night.” – Woman from Zambia who participated in the in-home trials (not pictured above) 13 © 2011 Lighting Africa Entrepreneurship: Women’s and men’s needs for lighting devices in a business context are driven by the nature of businesses that they operate, which often vary by gender. Women’s entrepreneurship is more common in Africa that women tend to enter unique enterprises, there than anywhere else, and according to the Africa Com- may be opportunities for women-focused approaches petitive Report, African women make up 50 percent to lighting for businesses. of the self-employed and 25 percent of employers.xvii Compared to men, their businesses tend to be smaller The household surveys (Figure 5) showed that in each enterprises and are more often retail and service sec- country, men were more likely to be farmers or labor- tor oriented. To a lesser extent, women also manage ers than women, and that women were more likely larger firms, and in those cases have been found to run to operate small retail businesses than men. Women them as proficiently as men were also more likely to be unemployed. While off- grid lighting is important for most occupations, small Entrepreneurs need lighting and other energy services retail businesses that can harness improved lighting offered by off-grid lighting for a variety of applica- to extend their working days to nighttime operation tions. Their needs and ability to pay can be driven by may yield greater benefits compared to more daytime- the particular business they operate and, to the extent oriented work like farming and general labor. Furthermore, Figure 6 shows that among the small What is your occupation? Male businesses that were surveyed in the market research Female certain business types often lend themselves to gender specific management, such as salons and green grocers, Ethiopia 80% 40% which are often run by women, and barber shops and 0% hardware stores, which are often run by men. For both men and women, nearly 80 percent of the businesses Ghana are micro enterprises with one or two workers. Also similar to men, nearly 40 percent of women owned enterprises are small permanent shops that have a Zambia single proprietor. Mobile phones are an important aspect of women’s Kenya entrepreneurship, and highlight the value of off-grid lighting products that can also offer additional energy services, like charging features for phones and other Tanzania small devices. A recent study entitled “Women & Mobile: A Global Opportunity” found that a woman Unemployed Domestic Worker Teacher Small Retail Business is 23 percent less likely to own a phone than a man in Other Farmer Laborer Africa.xviii At the same time, 41 percent of (globally) surveyed women report having increased income and professional opportunities once they own a phone, particularly women in rural areas or with low incomes. The benefits of modern lighting are multiplied when multifunctional lighting devices also empower women Figure 5: Occupations of participants in to access modern communication services more eas- the household survey (n=5,000) ily. 14 © 2011 Lighting Africa Male Business Type Female Small Shop Large Shop Kiosk Hotel or café Open market stall Hawker / no structure Green grocers kiosk Salon Barber shop Hardware shop Small scale producer Other 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% Figure 6: Types of businesses among those in the survey (n=2,500) Modern off-grid lighting can extend productive time for small enterprises like this woman’s vegetable selling operation in Kenya. © Peter Alstone 15 © 2011 Lighting Africa Buyers: Women share responsibility for household decisions related to the purchase of lighting technology For sellers and marketers of lighting products, it is women choose when a new lighting device is to be important to reach out to women because of their purchased 38 percent of the time, whereas men make decision making power within the household. Reach- the decision 58 percent of the time, with some in- ing the whole off- grid lighting market means reaching determinate responses (Figure 7). Similar trends—in women as well as men. general a 60/40 decision-making split between men and women—were observed regarding what kind Commonly it is observed that women are perceived to of product to buy. Women had slightly less control have lower status and that their preferences and welfare over the money to make the purchases (31 percent) carry less weight than men in important household compared to their control over when and what to buy. purchasing decisions. The African Women’s Rights Only two percent of households reported shared con- Observatory reports that women in most African trol over the money for lighting purchases. countries have little decision making autonomy (10-20 per- cent) for large household pur- chases, and only slightly more Decision making roles at multiple (20-40 percent) for every day stages regarding lighting products: household purchases.xix How- 100% Not known ever, the Lighting Africa market research dataset suggests that women may have a greater role to play in the decision making 80% process within a household for lighting-related purchases. Male Representative off-grid lighting 60% consumers were asked whether it was them or their spouse who decided when and which product to buy when shopping 40% for new lighting devices. They Shared were also asked who controlled the money for such purchases. Together, this information pro- 20% vided a good indication of the Female relation of gender to lighting purchases, and at various deci- sion points in the purchasing 0% process. When to buy What to buy Controls Money Over the five countries included Figure 7: Decision making power for women and men in in the market research survey, a household regarding lighting purchases (n=5,000) research results showed that 16 © 2011 Lighting Africa Women’s power in the decision making process depends in Kenya.xx In that survey, 57 percent of the vendors on geography, among other factors, as is depicted in estimated that women and men were equally likely to Figure 8, which shows the “What to buy” responses in be a customer for off-grid lighting products, while each of the five countries as an example. Ghana had only 42 percent thought men were the more common the lowest level of involvement by women in deciding customer. “what to buy,” only about 20 percent. Women have more of a say in Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania, with The survey data are not perfect with regard to estab- 40 to 50 percent of the respondents indicating that lishing who in the household is responsible for pur- women have the power in the decision making pro- chasing new lighting devices. Overall, most women cess. The country-to-country trends for the other two and men indicate they personally are the decision indicators (when to buy and who controls the money) makers, regardless of gender, and the results from resulted in similar findings. this survey are self-reported predictions rather than “actual” results from surveying buyers of modern Among unmarried women, a much higher fraction off-grid lighting products. In fact, fully 75% of the than the population at large—almost 80 percent— survey respondents indicated they personally were the act as the primary decision maker regarding type of decision makers. However, of the approximately 25% lighting device to be purchased. Thus single women who indicated their spouse was the decision maker, may have more of a role as decision makers than mar- there was a nearly even split in gender, indicating that ried women in poor households. Within the dataset neither men nor women tended to take undue credit this trend is true for all the countries surveyed except for purchase decisions more often than the other. Ethiopia. Given that result and the male-skewed nature of the sampling, it is of course possible that a higher fraction The findings that women have higher-than-expected of women have decision-making power than is indi- decision making power for off-grid lighting purchases cated in the survey results. In fact, the larger number are confirmed, in a sense, by results from a 2008 sur- of men in the sample combined with tendencies from vey of off-grid lighting product vendors in three towns both men and women to take credit for decisions may have skewed the household decision results towards male power. Finally, the Who decides what to buy when it comes to Male high up-front cost of modern off-grid new lighting devices? Female lighting compared to fuel-based lighting Not Known may result in different household deci- sion making dynamics altogether. In spite of those caveats, the data still provide compelling evidence for empow- 60% ered women. It appears that approxi- mately 40 percent of the time women will decide when and what to buy; they are important players in the private sector market for off-grid lighting. The design 40% of successful marketing and education campaigns will thus need to account for women’s stake by crafting messages what will be relevant and appealing to both genders. 20% 0% Ethiopia Ghana Zambia Kenya Tanzania Figure 8: Who decides when to purchase a new light (n=5,000) 17 © 2011 Lighting Africa © Research International “I do (choose the lighting device to be purchased) because most of the times, when you look at their father, he leaves this house at 4am and comes back at 10pm. He comes home tired so he cannot even bother with what we use for lighting.” – Woman from Kenya who participated in the in-home trials (not pictured above) “Sometimes it’s me (who chooses new lighting devices) and sometimes it’s my wife.” –Man from Zambia who participated in the in-home trials (not pictured above) 18 © 2011 Lighting Africa Health Concerns: People with health concerns related to air quality have some preferences for cleaner lighting devices; there may be syner- gies between improved cook stoves and off- grid lighting. Cooking and lighting are two primary sources of in- programs and businesses. This work shows that those door air pollution in the developing world, and aware- who have awareness of the real risks from IAP are ness of the health risks posed by fuel based lighting more likely to choose clean alternatives. leads to greater demand for clean alternatives in many countries. This suggests health concerns could be used as a key message in marketing and education campaigns around off- grid lighting and more efficient cook Do you ever worry about the health No stoves. effects using kerosene in your home Yes may have on you and your family? Everyone in the household benefits Ethiopia when modern lighting and cooking 60% appliances replace inefficient alterna- 40% tives, eliminating particulate pollution 20% (“smoke”) from their environment, 0% but women and children have the Ghana most to gain because they are dispro- portionately affected by the indoor air pollution from cooking and light- ing relative to men, who are typically Zambia less involved in domestic life. Overall, in four of the five countries surveyed, there is a general preference for solar lanterns among those who Kenya report being more concerned about smoke related health effects (Figure 9). The results are similar for both women and men who were surveyed. Tanzania These results indicate that positioning a new clean and reliable technology as one that has some health benefits could improve the marketability of a product. Solar Paraffin Pressure Light bulb in Battery powered lamp with lamp socket or a powered lantern glass cover lamp lantern Given the ongoing efforts to eradi- cate chronic indoor air pollution with Preferred type of light improved cookstoves, it is natural to incorporate opportunities to also Figure 9: Lighting preference for survey respondents eliminate the number two source with and without smoke related health concerns. of IAP, fuel based lighting, in those 19 © 2011 Lighting Africa © Research International “As you can see my living style, it seems to be a living hell without good source of light, what I am currently using is something which not comfortable for health and good vision—especially for my daughter.” -Woman from Ethiopia who participated in the in-home trials (not pictured above) 20 © 2011 Lighting Africa Financing: Without access to finance, there is no access to the benefits of modern off-grid lighting for many women and men. Financing has proven to be one of the most important income, saving for the purchase requires a long com- and difficult aspects of clean energy development, mitment from cash poor consumers. For the poorest whether at the household or entrepreneurial level. consumers, the challenges are even more daunting. It is well recognized that the relatively high up-front Figure 10 shows the number of days of income that costs are preventing price sensitive consumers acting the initial purchase cost of various LED lighting prod- on limited budgets from accessing modern lighting. ucts represents for various segments of the market. Innovative financing could help unlock the market and The income data is based on self-reported monthly allow women and men across Sub-Saharan Africa to incomes for the 5,000 participants in the household break free from fuel-based lighting. At the household survey across all five countries. The products with the level, women have been known to be at the forefront highest level of consumer preference are also typically of microfinance in other contexts, and could lead the the most costly. Figure 4, which shows the preferences way again with off-grid lighting. At the enterprise for various product types in the in-home surveys, in- level, women have also been found to be reliable bank dicates fixed multipoint products are often preferred, customers. Financial institutions can profitably expand followed by portable lighting systems—these are often services to women entrepreneurs when their programs the most costly options (and also provide the most respond to women’s needs. service). The low-quality flashlights that are sweeping through the market are included as a point of refer- Modern lighting consumes about 1/5 of average ence. Over 75 percent of the population can purchase monthly profit at an average business (also about 1/5 one with less than one week of income. On the other of monthly income for the households). Consider- hand, less than 50% of households can pay for a mod- ing that the upfront cost of even the least expensive ern task light with one week of income. For the poor- modern lighting products (about $20) is nearly 20 per- est 25 percent of the population, many alternatives are cent of the average household or business’s monthly simply out of reach. Income Bracket: Richest 25% Upper Middle 25% Lower Middle 25% Poorest 25% Daily Income $50 $4.10 $3.10 $1.30 $0.12 Fixed, Multi-point Lighting System ($100) 800 days Portable Lighting System ($50) 400 days Task Light ($20) Low Quality Flashlight ($3) 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 Days of income required to purchase product Figure 10: Days of income required to purchase various, hypothetical lighting products. The prices listed are representative of products that are available in the particular product categories. 21 © 2011 Lighting Africa Small Daily Purchases are the Status Quo Women and men who rely on fuel-based lighting spend a large fraction of their current income on lighting, but in the form of small purchases, often daily, for fuel. In many cases the overall cost of modern lighting could be lower, but a large up-front payment prevents access. With targeted financing, the cost of modern lighting could be distributed across the first several months of use, more closely mirroring the status quo in terms of paying for lighting and women and men’s availability of funds. Another approach might involve targeted marketing in communities with cyclical income (for example, from seasonal farming harvests) with emphasis on the times of year when people have access to cash. © Peter Alstone (Above) A girl buys a plastic bag full of kerosene to take home to her family. It will be enough for a day or so. (Left) A line forms at the kerosene shop near dusk—rush hour for the kerosene sellers—in Mai Mahiu, Kenya. © Peter Alstone 22 © 2011 Lighting Africa A recent World Bank study has shown that Level of access to financial services women have lower access to finance than Male men in many African countries and they for individuals based on Female tend to rely more on informal sources of “FinScope/FinAccess” surveys capital and personal money management 100 % Access to formal banking than men (Figure 11). In Kenya (2009), 80 % for example, the gender gap is 11 percent- age points, with 32 percent of men using 60 % formal banking services but only 21 per- cent of women using the same. Women in 40 % Kenya (2006, 2009) and Tanzania (2006, 20 % 2009) are thus more likely to use informal services than men. In Malawi, Namibia, 0% Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda (2006) and Zambia (2005), women were found to be Access to informal finance more likely to be excluded from any finan- cial service (Ethiopia and Ghana were not part of the survey). The Lighting Africa market survey con- firms that people in the five countries have little access to traditional financing. Among the households that were surveyed, access to bank accounts was limited, with around No Access to Finance 88 percent indicating they do not have any bank accounts. This trend did not vary with respect to gender. Among the small busi- ness owners, again very low numbers of respondents had access to a bank account; the highest rate of access was 25 percent, in Ghana. Some challenges for financing are universal for poor men and women alike, such as a lack of credit history, illiteracy, inability to make large down payments, and low cash Figure 11: Access to formal and informal flow. However, women also have a par- financial networks for women and men ticular set of additional hurdles preventing (adapted from Aterido et al. (2011)xxi) them from accessing consumer-level credit; Collateral requirements can be difficult to meet when market and could range from a few weeks to several property is often officially held be men; men are also months. Women distributors in particular may be able the official wage earners in many households. Mobil- to benefit from this financing tool and should be in- ity is another challenge. Far away banks may be inac- cluded in any distributor finance marketing outreach. cessible to women who have responsibilities at home The potential benefits to the distributor are revenue or when travelling poses security risk.xxii, xxiii growth, alternative financing, improved balance sheet management, and capacity building. Suppliers are able Consumers aren’t the only ones in the value chain to offer qualified distributors improved terms and new who need access to finance. One way to increase financing. the dispersal of energy efficient products is to sup- port women-targeted distributor finance. It provides Increasingly, there are financial institutions that focus financing solutions that support the working capital on providing targeted financial services to women. For needs of a seller’s distributors and potentially distribu- example, in 2007, Exim Bank became the first insti- tors’ resellers. The tenor of this financing is likely to tution in Tanzania to cater to the vastly under-served vary depending on the off-grid lighting devices and 23 © 2011 Lighting Africa market of women business owners. Since then, Exim’s without making a profit from interest rates—extends profitable women-targeted program has exceeded ex- a loan themselves, providing women with the device pectations. Exim’s Womens’ Program Unit helped de- inventory to sell to others. This lighting program velop financial services products that better respond to also includes mobile phone technology. Participating the needs of businesswomen. In addition, as a way of women offer to charge the phones of others with their building capacity for women entrepreneurs and mak- off-grid energy device for a fee, generating additional ing them more bankable, Exim Bank developed and income for the entrepreneurial women. Mobile bank- ran basic financial literacy training for its current and ing and text messaging are used to communicate with potential women customers. Exim’s partnership with the entrepreneurs and streamline funds, making the the microleasing institution SELFINA further opened program more efficient. up opportunities for financing to female borrowers in 12 districts in Tanzania, including rural areas. There are early indications that some modern lighting organizations are catching on. On a recent visit with Another innovative financing approach to promote a Lighting Africa distributor in Nairobi, he explained off-grid lighting is being applied by Solar Sisters in that his community outreach office is only staffed by Rwanda, Sudan, and Uganda.xxiv Rather than partner- women. They create links with formal and informal ing up with a micro-finance institution to provide community groups that can help their members pur- capital, Solar Sisters applies a “micro consignment” chase improved lighting. Those groups are almost all model partnering with formal and informal women run by women as well and serve the needs of women organizations. The approach is favorable to poten- in communities across Kenya. Why focus on women- tial women entrepreneurs who are reluctant and/ centered groups? Simply because “...they pay their or unable to take out loan and provide collateral for loans.” the energy-efficient devices. Instead, Solar Sisters— Relatively high up- front costs prevent some consumers from switching to modern off-grid lighting. Financing could help bridge the gap, but women often face additional difficulties in accessing financing. © Research International 24 © 2011 Lighting Africa The Way Forward Women, just like men, are mainstream users, buyers, and beneficiaries of improved off-grid lighting. As Kenyan schoolgirls studying with a solar task lamp. demonstrated in this analysis, there is a substantial opportunity and need to reach out to women both as mainstream consumers of off- grid lighting products and services and as key entrepreneurs in the supply chain. There is a growing range of services beyond lighting—mobile phone charging, radios, and more— © Jamie Seno / Lighting Africa available from micro energy devices. The opportuni- ties for reaching women with these energy services are large. Meeting women’s needs with modern off-grid lighting technology will require stakeholders across the value chain to take collaborative action. For manufacturers and distributors: mobile phone charging . • Evaluate your approach to selling to women; they are a significant part of the market and have decision- • Ensure that effective tracking of gender data is part making power. A women targeted approach to mar- of day-to-day operations, including market surveys, keting off grid lighting products involves different consumer outreach, and program monitoring and communication strategies since their socio-economic evaluation. There are key lessons-learned in this area condition differs from that of men. Involving women included in the Annexes that follow. in the supply chain, from distribution to retail, may help catalyze a successful approach. • At the policy level, identify and address practical solutions to women’s constraints to gain access to off- • Partner with and support women’s formal and in- grid lighting, and in parallel access to the grid. Policies formal networks to enable them to purchase your that include women in the development stage may products. For instance, reach out to women’s associa- help support women’s access to electricity (grid and tions for group lending, marketing, demonstration ef- off-grid). fect, etc. In the past women’s organizations have been successfully involved in marketing and administering For financial institutions: renewable energy systems. • Consider reaching the women’s market through • Consider including messages about avoided smoke targeted products and services, a specific outreach inhalation, an issue for women, men, and children strategy, and possibly financial and management skills alike, to drive demand. courses. For governments and development institutions: • Partner with women groups that could assist with market outreach while at the same time leverage finan- • Find ways to support formal and informal financing cial risk (for example, group lending, “micro consign- frameworks to better reach women. ment,” etc.). • Explore synergies between improved cook stoves • At the SME level, promote women and men as (which are typically woman-centered) and modern distributors/resellers through distributor finance off-grid lighting. There may be opportunities to schemes. co-market the two products in a way that leverages consumer-level (micro) finance for a multifunctional • Explore mobile banking and the potential added off-grid energy platform that provides clean cooking, value of linking mobile technology with off-grid light- lighting, and potentially other services as well, such as ing products. 25 © 2011 Lighting Africa References i Dalberg Global Development Advisors, Solar xvi Lighting for the Base of the Pyramid (Lighting Africa Lighting Africa The Off-Grid Lighting Market Program, 2010), http://lightingafrica.org/resources/ in Sub-Saharan Africa: Market Research Synthesis market-research. Report, Lighting Africa (IFC and the World Bank, February 2011), http://www.lightingafrica.org/ ii Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, “Quick component/docman/doc_download/128-market- Facts”, n.d., http://cleancookstoves.org/resources/ research-synthesis-. key-documents/. xvii The Africa Competitiveness Report (World iii Poppendeick, D. “Exposure to Particulate Matter Economic Forum, the World Bank and the African from Kerosene Lamps,” in Lighting Africa Confer- Development Bank, 2011), http://siteresources. ence 2010 (Nairobi, 2010). worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/The_Af- rica_Competitiveness_Report_2011.pdf. iv World Bank. Energy, Gender and Development, xviii Report prepared for the Social Development Depart- Women & Mobile: A Global Opportunity - A ment, (World Bank, May 2011). study on the mobile phone gender gap in low and middle-income countries (GSMA Development Fund v Cecelski, E. The Role of Women in Sustainable and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, 2010), Energy Development (National Renewable Energy http://www.cherieblairfoundation.org/uploads/pdf/ Laboratory, June 2000), http://www.nrel.gov/docs/ women_and_mobile_a_global_opportunity.pdf. fy00osti/26889.pdf. vi xix Ibid. “African Women’s Rights Observatory”, August 19, 2011, http://awro.uneca.org/QuantitativeAnaly- vii Barnes, D. “The Impact of Electrification on sis.aspx. Women’s Lives in Rural India,” ENERGIA News vol. xx 7 nr 1, no. 1 (2004). Johnstone et al. Market Presence of Off-grid Lighting Product in the Kenyan towns of Kericho, viii Massé, R. “EnPoGen Study in Sri Lanka,” ENER- Brooke, and Talek, Lighting Africa Pilot Baseline GIA News vol. 5 nr 3 (2002). Study, 2009. ix xxi “Home - Enterprise Surveys - The World Bank R Aterido, T Beck, and L Lacovone, “Gender and Group”, August 19, 2011, http://www.enterprisesur- Finance in Sub-Saharan Africa: Are Women Disad- veys.org/. vantaged?,” World Bank Policy Research Working x Ibid. Paper WPS5571 (2011). xi Ibid. xxii “AfricaAdapt Home page”, n.d., http://www. xii Michel Matly, “Women’s Electrification,” ENER- africa-adapt.net/aa/ThemeOverview. GIA News (n.d.), http://www.energia.org/fileadmin/ xxiii files/media/EN122005_matly.pdf. Cecelski, “The Role of Women in Sustainable Energy Development.” xiii Chandi, L. Renewables and energy for rural xxiv development with gender perspective, Draft short Chhabra, E. “Solar Sister wants to light up rural term study report (African Energy Policy Research Africa,” Christian Science Monitor (July 1, 2011), Network (AFREPREN), 2002). http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a- difference/Change-Agent/2011/0701/Solar-Sister- xiv Cecelski, E., Re-thinking gender and energy: Old wants-to-light-up-rural-Africa. and new directions, ENERGIA/EASE Discussion xxv Paper, May 2004, http://www.africa-adapt.net/aa/ Cecelski, “The Role of Women in Sustainable uploads/Resources/dc34377b36744a89914b270a2f- Energy Development.” c90a32_ENERGIA.pdf. xv Ibid. 26 © 2011 Lighting Africa Annex 1: Surveying Women as Household Consumers and Business Owners: Topics and Questions for Market Research. Women have a major role to play in the off grid lighting market both as consumers and business owners. They not only represent one half of the market but also play an active role in decision making within a household and business set-up. Hence is important to gather accurate information regarding the socio economic situation of women within a geographic market. One important drawback in using the Research International dataset for a women specific study was that it lacked a gender specific approach to the questions. Hence it was sometimes difficult to accurately access the required information from the dataset for this study. Drawing from the experience of this study and the sample questionnaires for the Research International survey, this section outlines important topics for researcher that want to better understand the women’s market1 for off-grid lighting products. Table 1: Topics for questionnaire when surveying women as consumers Topic Questionnaire Framework Process Socio-Economic situation Age, gender, education, employment, Identify single hours of work etc. should be recorded woman households clearly. For households: Type of household (for example, single Identify if the man or vs. extended family), number of family the woman of the members, marital status, etc can help household is the provide information regarding major income earner. household income, purchases, and decision making. To gather accurate information from the For businesses: survey, direct the Type of business, business-ownership questionnaire to the and management should be recorded to head of the help provide information regarding household or revenues, costs, and decision-making. business. Income of the respondent and other income sources within household or In some cases, it may business will give important be useful to interview information on financial situation. women by themselves to help Record the marital status of survey reduce influencing participants. This could explain access, their answers by preferences etc with respect to lighting presence of men (for example, married women and men during the interview. 1 Women are not a homogeneous group and differ by income, education and social groups. Targeted research will help identify women’s roles in different markets and cultural settings. may have preferences that are those of the entire family, rather than the Consider including individual’s being surveyed). women on interview team to facilitate access to women as interviewees. Assess whether certain interview times/locations are more suitable for women interviewees. Access to electricity and Questions about electricity access other lighting services should include time of use, intermittency, costs & billing, etc. This will help establish whether women and men have the same access and/or challenges. Do women and men have different preferences regarding energy demand (for example, continuous demand at a particular time? What are their main activities during that time interval?) What are the different needs of women in the context? Identify particular tasks affected by lack of access to a service. How would improved access to electricity/off-grid lighting improve living conditions (for example, increase in income, more efficient time-use)? Needs, Usage and How do women and men perceive and Use of concept cards Preference of products use currently available products? or pictures could give misleading What products and/or services do information regarding women prefer in relation to their preferences and different needs/tasks? pricing of lighting products. A better Do women and men equally decide on option would be to purchasing a new product or service? If demonstrate a new not, who does? product or provide product access to the survey participants (include both women and men) for use in their premises. Barriers and possible What are the main barriers to adopting solutions to adoption a new product or service? new products and services Do women face different challenges than men in overcoming these barriers? Do levels of education, mobility, access to financial services vary and play a role? How would women overcome these barriers? Are there any women specific solutions? Willingness to pay for What is the expectation of a new Ensure that both new services and product or service in relation to their women and men products end use (for example, would the respondents are product/service help increase income?) aware of all features and have used the How much are women and men willing product themselves in to pay by end use of the product? Any a demonstration. differences? It is important to Are women respondents willing to pay collect accurate more/less for products that would information about warrant women-targeted marketing cost of current approach? products in use and gender-differentiated willingness to pay for possible alternatives. Access to Finance What types of institutional and non- Indicate the institutional financial services do awareness level of the women and men have access to? Are woman respondent there differences in access/preferences? with respect to the available sources of Do women or men of the financial services. household/business mainly partake in financial transactions? Both? Questions on access to finance should Are women members of groups with include information whom financial institutions could about non- partner? institutional sources of finance. Access to Media What is the extent of exposure Indicate the extent of to/demand of media sources like TV, daily use of TV, radio radio and print media? or news paper of respondents by Are there any gender differences gender, age, regarding media preferences? education and income levels. How would women prefer being informed about new product offerings and services? What hinders women and men from gaining access (for example, lack of finance, time, education, mobility, etc.)? ANNEX 2: Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation It is important to monitor and evaluate on-going off-grid lighting programs, not only to ensure their general efficiency and sustainability, but to promote their success in reaching population groups that might otherwise be excluded. This includes assessing whether the needs of women in general, and those of women in business in particular, are being met. It is essential that lessons are learned from programs which have adopted explicit gender goals and/or specifically targeted women so that feedback may be used in follow-up programs. Such M&E activities should be based on sets of clear indicators and models which can adequately measure who is benefiting from off-grid lighting, in what way, and if not, why not. 1. Ensure Key Information Can be Gender Disaggregated An assessment should be made of the extent to which basic information collected by market researchers, development practitioners, policy makers and so forth, can be analyzed by gender. Key data include customer satisfaction levels, and statistics on product use and costs. There will be complexities in gender disaggregation – for example, distinctions will need to be drawn between female-owned and female-managed businesses and between single women headed-households and households headed by both women and men. 2. Incorporate Output and Outcome Indicators that Highlight Gender Aspects of the Program Indicator/Data Gender Focus (gender Source of Data Required disaggregation) Output Indicators • Research Quantitative indicators: Market Survey Data number and/or percentage of women and men being surveyed to ensure representative survey sample and statistically relevant population of women and men. • Marketing Qualitative indicators: Marketing & Outreach inclusion of portraits of Material women as users of renewable technology included in marketing materials • Agency operations Qualitative indicators: Market Survey Data and accessibility opening hours of distributors’ shops; Interviews with women accessibility and safe focus groups locations of distribution centers Quantitative indicators: number and/or percentage of women managers and staff in the distribution center Number of women and men customers (baseline) • Training and Qualitative indicators: Outreach gender inclusive focus; Distributors’ Training gender issues articulated Evaluations and addressed Quantitative indicators: Number and/or percentage of women and men participating/benefiting Outcome Indicators • Uptake of Quantitative: Market Survey Follow-up renewable lighting Incremental number of sources renewable lighting devices per household/business by gender Customer Referral to purchase off-grid lighting devices by gender Incremental number of hours of lighting per months in household/business by gender Average amount paid for lighting device by gender (to capture informal payments/bribes) • Benefits Quantitative: Development Impact Incremental hours of Assessments business operations associated with adopted renewable lighting by gender Incremental household income associated with adopted renewable lighting by gender. Increased productivity (measured by reallocation of time spent) by gender