Twelve African nations committed to implementing clean cooking energy solutions during the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, addressing a crisis that claims approximately 600,000 lives annually across the continent.
The two-day summit, hosted by Tanzania on January 27-28, 2025, focused on accelerating access to electricity and clean cooking solutions in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
“This gathering is a platform to consolidate commitments, announce new partnerships and drive momentum towards the 2030 goal,” said Tanzanian President, Suluhu Hassan, who championed the initiative.
The African Energy Commission reports that one billion Africans lack access to clean cooking facilities, relying instead on biomass fuels like wood and charcoal.
This dependency costs the continent an estimated $790 billion annually.
The African Development Bank pledged $2 billion over 10 years toward clean cooking solutions, contributing to the $4 billion annual requirement for universal access by 2030.
“Why should anybody have to die just for trying to cook a decent meal that is taken for granted in other parts of the world?” said African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina.
Tanzania leads regional efforts with its National Clean Cooking Strategy, aiming to transition 80% of its population to clean cooking technologies by 2034. The country currently loses 400 hectares of forest annually to charcoal and firewood use.
Private sector innovations include M-Gas’s pay-as-you-cook LPG model, which has reached 500,000 households in Kenya and Tanzania.
“With 35 cents they can cook three meals in a day,” said M-Gas CEO, Martin Kimani.
Burn Manufacturing, Africa’s largest clean cooking manufacturer, highlighted the availability of carbon credit funding pending government approvals.
“This is the most exciting time in the history of clean cooking,” said CEO, Peter Scott.
The summit concluded with President Hassan expressing optimism that additional nations would join the initiative, marking a significant step toward addressing Africa’s energy access challenges.
By Winston Mwale, AfricaBrief