Enhancing access to clean electricity with green finance and natural resources rent – the case of sub-Saharan African rural areas

Purpose In the sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, energy poverty (EP) is a serious problem, especially in rural areas where clean cooking electricity (CEA) is scarce. Therefore, there is a need to examine how CEA is improved in this region. Thus, this research aims to cover this gap and provide major policies that can be adopted in this region. Design/methodology/approach This study looks into different approaches to improve access to CEA in rural communities, as well as the complex issues related to EP. This is one of the first studies to examine how financial development (FD), natural resources rents (NRR) and green finance (GF) can be used to promote CEA of the SSA countries. The annual data of the 43 SSA countries is used for the period 2000–2021 and the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) is used for data analysis purposes. Findings The results show that NRR and FD are fundamental in fostering the CEA in the SSA countries’ rural areas. Therefore, these factors are essential in eradicating EP. The resource bless theory is thus supported, while the resource curse theory is opposed. GF does not significantly promote CEA in the SSA countries’ rural areas, though it presents a positive influence because of the positive coefficients in the results. Economic growth (EG) in African countries, reduces CEA. Originality/value This research provides new insights into how EP can be reduced with NRR and FD in the SSA region. Thus, in line with sustainable development goal 7, this research recommends the use of financial and natural resources to promote CEA. Moreover, to improve the influence of GF in alleviating EP, institutional quality should be improved.