From Darkness to Light: The Effect of Electrification in Ghana, 2000–2010

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between electrification, the structure of employment, and the structure of the household using the rollout of electricity in Ghana between 2000 and 2010. We find, using the 10% microsamples of the Ghana census, that residential electric access led to movements out of agriculture and toward higher-skilled wage-earning occupations. Within the household, electrification resulted in a shift away from the use of wood fuels, reduced fertility, and led to larger investments in the education of existing children.