Advancing Clean Cooking Transition in Nigeria through Public Debt and Governance Infrastructure

Abstract The current global drive towards minimizing or abolishing unsustainable cooking methods owing to their harsh ecological, economic and health effects is gaining momentum. Advancing successful transition to clean cooking necessitates strategic debt management and effective governance. However, studies examining the combined influence of governance quality and public borrowing in facilitating clean cooking transition is currently lacking in the literature. Hence, this study employs the Quantile-on-quantile to assess the impact of governance and public debt on the uptake of clean cooking technologies in Nigeria from 2000Q1 to 2022Q4. The empirical outcome shows that control of corruption, regulatory quality, rule of law, and voice and accountability consistently have a positive impact on access to clean cooking fuels and technologies in both rural and urban areas, with stronger effects observed at higher quantiles. Conversely, at lower quantiles, the influence of political stability and government effectiveness, is relatively weaker, reflecting persistent limitations and volatility in clean cooking access. Moreover, public debt has a negligible effect at lower quantiles, implying that when debt levels are low, governments ability to invest in sustainable energy infrastructure and provide subsidies for clean energy uptake will be limited. However, at higher quantiles, as public debt increases, government can sufficiently fund sustainable energy initiatives and spur the transition to clean cooking in both urban and rural locations. Hence, we argue that effective governance and debt management are essential in advancing clean cooking transitions in Nigeria JEL code: P18