Gender and productive uses of energy in the street food sector in South Africa, Rwanda and Senegal

In African countries, businesses in the informal food sector face many difficulties which constitute major constraints to their development. Among these is access to modern energy services and their cost. It is an area where women occupy strong managerial and decision-making positions as business owners or as employees. However, there is little quantitative and independently certified empirical data on this issue of gender and productive uses of energy, allowing for change in policies.

It is to provide both qualitative and quantitative responses that this research programme entitled "Gender and productive uses of energy in the informal food sector (SAI) in South Africa, Rwanda and Senegal" was conducted during the period 2015 to 2018. The programme explored the links between the use of modern energy services and the empowerment of men and women in the street food sector, also focusing on contextual factors influencing energy uses and strategies in the sector. Research partners have therefore given themselves the mandate to produce this data, which will be supported by qualitative data, thereby strengthening the availability of quantified information. It will be a way to broaden knowledge about the food sector by giving energy aspects greater visibility in female entrepreneurship and gender issues, and on the other hand to build advocacy towards policy-makers and the private sector.

The objective of this research program was to provide evidence (quantitative and qualitative) to the integration of a gender approach in the informal food sector, and to understand the contextual factors that impact the productive uses of energy in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the street food sector in Africa.

It aimed more specifically to:

- Produce quantitative data which will be reinforced by qualitative data;

- Measure the size of the informal food sector (SAI) and its energy supply;

- Determine the type of modern energy services to disseminate to enable economic and social empowerment that can contribute to the transformation of women's roles and gender relations in business;

- Study the changes that could be made within the company itself and their possible impact on the household of the manager of the company;

- See to what extent changes (if any) in the use of energy in businesses could impact the empowerment of women.