AfDB commits $2bn to enhance access to clean cooking across Africa

Cynthia Ezekwe

The African Development Bank (AfDB),  a multilateral development finance institution, has pledged the sum of $2 billion to promote clean cooking solutions in Africa over the next decade.

Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB President, stated this at the  International Energy Agency conference on clean cooking in Africa, held recently in Paris, noting that  the pledge amounts to 20 per cent  of the lender’s annual spending on energy, and would be used to promote  safe alternatives to cooking with charcoal, wood and biomass.

Speaking during the summit at the Elysee Palace, Emmanuel Macron,  French President, commended AfDB, for its leading role and commitment to delivering clean cooking in Africa, noting that the summit  resulted in $2.2 billion pledges from the public and private sectors.

“As part of the Paris Pact for People and the Planet, and with the commitment of Tanzania, Norway, the International Energy Agency, the African Development Bank, and many other partners, we are taking a step forward against this silent scourge today. We are mobilising $2.2 billion to provide clean alternatives to populations in Africa. France pledges to invest €100 million over five years in clean cooking methods and will mobilise even more through the Paris Pact for People and the Planet and Finance in Common,’’ Macron said.

Delivering his keynote address, Adesina noted that cooking over open fires and using basic stoves that burn charcoal and wood leads to the death of about 600,000 Africans annually, and adds to carbon emissions that  leads to deforestation.

“Access to clean cooking is about more than cooking, it is about dignity. It is more than about lighting a stove, it is about life itself. It is about fairness, justice and equity for women,” Adesina said, recalling how as a youth he had damaged his own eyesight blowing into smoking wooden fires and how a friend had died in a kerosene-related explosion.

Globally,  the lack of access to clean cooking affects over two billion people—more than half of whom are in Africa, typically cooking over open fires and basic stoves. Using charcoal, wood, agricultural waste, and animal dung as fuel, they inhale harmful toxic fumes and smoke with dire consequences for health.

Data from the International Energy Agency  show that globally 200 million hectares of forest, 110 million of them in Africa, were at risk because of the climatic effects of cooking with charcoal, biomass, and wood.

A recent report from the World Bank  pointed out that  while there has been some improvement in the use of clean-cooking technology in Asian countries, progress in Africa has been lagging, noting that the cost of inaction in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated at $330 billion annually because of the impact on health and the climate.

To this end, AfDB president noted that providing access to clean cooking is not only right, fair and just, but  also the globally responsible thing to do, adding that the tools for enabling clean cooking access are readily available and affordable but had not been sufficiently prioritised.

“This momentous summit on clean cooking in Africa is the largest ever gathering of leaders and policy makers dedicated to confronting the issue of access to clean cooking in Africa. We can fix it. There is nothing improved in continued suffering. No woman in Africa should have to cook again with firewood, charcoal or biomass. It is time to restore dignity to women who cook in Africa,’’ Adesina said.

He added that commitments announced at the summit go beyond the money alone, as the stakeholders have set out concrete steps on how governments, institutions and the private sector can work together to solve the clean cooking challenge in Africa.

Earlier, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre said his country will contribute $50 million to the initiative, while Marcos Sefcovic, executive vice president of the European Green Deal, said the European Union will provide €400 million ($431 million).

On her part, Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president of Tanzania pointed out that the successful advancement of the clean cooking agenda in Africa would contribute towards protecting the environment, climate, health, and ensuring gender equality.

“This summit underscores our commitment to advancing this agenda and providing a framework towards universal adoption of clean cooking fuels and technologies across the continent,” she said.

Jonas Gahr Støre, prime minister of Norway noted, “Improving access to clean cooking is about improving health outcomes, reducing emissions, and creating opportunities for economic growth. With today’s summit, we have mobilised much needed support, and built a diverse partnership that together can make a real difference. Norway is a steadfast supporter of clean cooking, and I was pleased to announce today that we are committed to investing approximately $50 million in this important cause.”