Cooking fuel preferences among Ghanaian Households: An empirical analysis

•Education, income, urban location and access to infrastructure influence fuel choice in Ghana.•Male headed households decrease the choice for modern fuels.•Income has no effect on the choice for fuelwood.•Policies targeting rural dwellers should focus more on efficient use of solid fuels.

This paper investigated the key factors influencing the choice of cooking fuels in Ghana. Results from the study indicated that education, income, urban location and access to infrastructure were the key factors influencing household's choice of the main cooking fuels (fuelwood, charcoal and liquefied petroleum gas). The study also found that, in addition to household demographics and urbanization, the supply (availability) of the fuels influenced household choice for the various fuels. Increase in household income was likely to increase the probability of choosing modern fuel (liquefied petroleum gas and electricity) relative to solid (crop residue and fuelwood) and transition fuel (kerosene and charcoal). I therefore proposed that poverty reduction policies, provision of education and modern infrastructure, as well as provision of reliable supply of modern fuels should be part of the policy framework in promoting the use of modern fuels in Ghana, especially for urban dwellers, while for rural dwellers the focus should be on how to efficiently use traditional fuels in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way.