Does women’s empowerment foster clean energy consumption in the context of economic expansion and expenditure? Evidence from Nigeria

Purpose This paper aims to analyse the role of gender on clean energy consumption. Gender studies and the need to achieve ecological soundness through clean energy consumption are two of the most important topics being discussed today. Design/methodology/approach As a result, this research evaluates the significance of women’s empowerment (WBLI) in promoting renewable energy use (RECO) in Nigeria from 1990 to 2021 using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and spectral Granger causality approach. In addition, economic growth (GDPC) and education expenditure (EDEX) were used as control. Findings The ARDL findings demonstrate that WBLI, EDEX and GDPC reduce RECO in the short run. GDPC, although, is insignificant. In the long run, WBLI reduces RECO, while GDPC and EDEX increase RECO. EDEX, however, is not significant. The Granger causality result also shows that WBLI, GDPC and EDEX granger cause RECO in the long term. Based on these findings, policies are recommended for implementation. Originality/value This study recommends that policymakers in Nigeria should intentionally promote policies that will drive clean energy use through incentives, especially among women. Such incentives can include financial incentives, training and capacity building, community-support programs, inclusive policies and regulations and partnerships and collaborations.