In many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa energy sector planning has long been something of a paradoxical exercise in the context of modern as opposed to traditional fuels in the economy. Although essential to the functioning of society, modern fuels generally account for only 15 to 40 percent of total energy consumption. However, since they are inseparable from modern methods of energy transformation and use, these modern fuels absorb virtually all investments in the energy sector. Traditional fuels, on the other hand, although they occupy a dominant place in the overall energy balance and in the consumption of households, have received little in the way of planning and policy making attention and investments. The importance of traditional energy (fuelwood and charcoal) in terms of total energy consumption is significant. In low-income countries such as Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, the household sector accounts for more than 80 percent of total energy consumption and projections call for this rate of consumption to continue into the 21st century. Most traditional energy is used for household consumption (cooking and heating) and the daily lives of rural women are greatly influenced by its availability and use.