Angola currently has the world's highest economic growth rate at 21.1%, due to its vast offshore energy resources, yet the country’s Human Development Index (HDI) ranking is one of lowest in the world. Of the 177 countries measured, Angola ranks 162. Among the factors constraining human development for the mass population of Angolan, is the lack of sustainable energy services for households. This thesis argues that access to sustainable energy carriers (e.g. modern forms of biofuels) is an essential input to widening the potential combination of functionings that constitute and promote human development. Specifically, the thesis examines the role of energy-poverty in inhibiting the alternative potential of functionings that women in Angola may achieve, by introducing the capability framework (of Amartya Sen) and gender and development approach triple-role theory (of Caroline O. N. Moser). The thesis seeks to understand the current situation and inform appropriate energy-interventions. By selecting Huambo City households for study areas, the thesis seeks to understand how the capability perspective can inform on the drivers of urban poverty, including how gender and energy-poverty are related. Data derived from pilot survey, key informants, survey questionnaire, semistructured interviews with 50 households and literature review. Research completed seems to indicate that lack of sustainable energy services in Sassonde and Constantino Camoli (rural and urban settlements respectively) severely impoverishes the wellbeing of households, with energy poverty being more acute in rural than urban areas. It additionally indicates that there exists gender dimensions to energy-poverty, i.e. women's health is poor as a result of indoor air pollution. Poverty prevents many households (lack of various functionings) to move up the energy ladder independently. Hunger was also found as a correlate to energy-poverty: a direct result of the lack of woodfuel or charcoal for cooking. Energy services such as cooking are valued differently depending on gender, with different priorities placed on reproductive tasks and leisure. Additionally, poor forms of energy carriers (charcoal or woodfuel) robs women's productive time, as on average, they walk 4 kilometers to collect fuel wood spend or over 5 hours ironing a small basket of clothes, or cooking food. However, both men and women play a role in supplying and producing charcoal fuel. Deforestation is a big problem due to energy scarcity in the form of electricity. The research concludes that to address energy security issues for poorer households, solutions must be derived from a gendered analysis, reflecting on gendered needs with implications for user-end technology including identifying the key factors in order to resolve the deforestation problems. Keywords: Engendered division of labor Sustainability, Energy Service, Energy Carriers, Traditional Biomass Fuels, Gender and Development, Capability Deprivation, Urbanization, Deforestation, Indoor Air Pollution, Time Poverty, Charcoal, and Woodfuel.