Purpose Energy risks, financial access (FA) and women's economic participation remain crucial scholarly and policy concerns in the achievement of the United Nations sustainable development goals. This study assesses the link between energy risks, FA and women's economic participation in Africa.Design/methodology/approach The focus is on 31 African countries for the period 2000-2019. The empirical evidence is based on quantile regressions (QR) and the generalized method of moments (GMM). Interactive regressions are employed in order to provide more room for policy implications.Findings Positive and negative FA thresholds are consistently established for the QR and GMM results. Positive FA thresholds are turning points where the negative effect of energy risk on women's economic participation (i.e. female labors force participation and female employment) is completely mitigated. Negative FA thresholds are turning points where the positive effect of energy risk on female unemployment is completely crowded-out. The FA thresholds are within policy range and contingent on the conditional distribution of women's economic participation.Practical implications Reaching FA thresholds is necessary to change the unconditional impact of energy risks on women's economic participation (unemployment) from negative (positive) to positive (negative). It follows that FA critical levels are necessary to reverse the unfavorable negative (positive) influence of energy risks on female employment (unemployment). The recommended FA thresholds in order to completely mitigate the unfavorable effect of energy risk on women's economic participation are both feasible and implementable. The policy implications are directly related to promoting SDG5 on the economic empowerment of women as well as SDG7 on affordable and clean energy. Other policy implications are discussed.Originality/value The study complements the extant literature by examining linkages between energy risks, FA and women's economic participation.
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