AfDB commits US$2 billion for clean cooking

AfDB commits US$2 billion for clean cooking

The African Development Bank Group has pledged US$2 billion over 10 years towards clean cooking solutions in Africa. The pledge represents an important contribution to the US$4 billion per year needed to allow African families to have access to clean cooking 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?,” African Development Bank president Akinwumi Adesina asked during a discussion as part of the summit. “Africa must develop with dignity, with pride. Its women, its population must have access to clean energy solutions.”

African countries have made bold commitments to implement clean cooking energy solutions to offset the devastating effects of open fire cooking, which kills roughly 600 000 women and children annually across the continent.

In energy compacts signed during the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, held in Tanzania on 27 and 28 January, 12 African countries signalled their intent to accelerate the pace of access to electricity and clean cooking solutions on the world’s fastest-growing continent, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Commending these countries, Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan stated in closing remarks: “I understand that the 12 governments have only pioneered, and many others will join us in the future.” 

Earlier, speaking about the purpose of the summit, she said, “This gathering is a platform to consolidate commitments, announce new partnerships and drive momentum towards the 2030 goal.”

The two-day meeting was organised by the government of Tanzania and Mission 300, an unprecedented collaboration between the African Development Bank Group, the World Bank Group and global partners, to address Africa’s electricity access gap through the use of new technology and innovative financing.

Moderating a special panel on clean cooking on Monday, Rashid Abdallah, Executive Director of the African Energy Commission (AFREC), noted that whilst 600 million Africans live without access to electricity, one billion -nearly double the number – were without access to clean cooking, relying on biomass fuels such as wood and charcoal, with severe economic, social and environmental impact. Conservative estimates put the cost of this across the continent to US$790 billion a year, he noted.

Abdallah was joined by Dr Richard Muyungi, Special Envoy to the president of Tanzania, Peter Scott, CEO of Burn Manufacturing, and Martin Kimani, CEO of M-Gas, who each highlighted the significant health, environmental, and economic impacts of relying on polluting fuels for cooking, as well as the innovative approaches being developed to address this crisis.

Muyungi shared Tanzania’s experience in launching a comprehensive National Clean Cooking Strategy, emphasising the importance of high-level political commitment, coordinated stakeholder engagement, and the integration of private sector participation.