Linking energy service access and human capabilities to assess energy justice in the rural Sahel

The Sahel covers more than 3 M km² across eleven countries and accounts for only one-tenth of the world's per capita energy consumption, yet it remains largely unexplored in the energy justice literature. Energy justice offers a suitable analytical framework for studying disparities in energy access and assessing corresponding public policies. However, apprehending the real benefits of energy related infrastructures (e.g., electric grid, roads, telecommunications network) requires to go beyond access to new energy carriers. We thus propose to enrich the energy justice framework by considering (1) access to energy services and (2) the capability-based theory of human well-being. Drawing on field observations and interviews in rural Senegal, we show that (1) benefits from new infrastructures still remain unevenly distributed: though opening up rural areas and providing local populations with new energy services, specific communities (e.g., semi-nomadic, low-income) are often left aside; (2) social tensions may arise locally due to resource management, as new or more productive energy services become available. We conclude that energy policies should not only focus on infrastructures (regional energy access), but also consider the corresponding end-use equipment (local energy service access), the heterogeneity of populations' practices and lifestyles, and the potential side effects of energy policies on other sectors.