Tanzanian commercial capital Dar es Salaam hosted the national Clean Cooking Conference on 1st-2nd November 2022, which addressed the barriers to the penetration of modern cooking solutions and energies in the country.
Charcoal is the main source of fuel for cooking in Tanzania. In addition to its environmental impact, its use is harmful to human health as it leads to acute respiratory diseases and premature deaths.
Nearly 33,024 people die prematurely annually in Tanzania from illnesses that are attributable to indoor air pollution.
Women and children are the most affected groups as they spend many hours a day in the kitchen exposed to high levels of air pollutants.
The conference investigated and suggested strategies for achieving affordable, clean, and reliable cooking solutions.
It was graced by Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who stressed that stages of her administration will create a conducive environment for investments and strong multi-sector partnerships.
For this, the government is set to establish a Clean Cooking Energy Fund during the 2023/24 fiscal year, to promote and replace dirty cooking solutions and widen the access and use of clean energy by between 80 and 90% during the next 10 years.
The AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is currently implementing a project funded by the Government of Sweden, to support market-based approaches for clean cooking in Tanzania.
Dubbed the Tanzania Clean Cooking Project (TCCP), it is a USD3.75 million three-year project that aims to catalyze the clean cooking sector through enhanced private sector participation.
The project will provide matching grant financing and technical assistance to small and growing businesses working in clean cooking.
Funding is available for private sector companies commercially active in clean cooking across Tanzania, but companies proposing project ideas outside of Dar-es-Salaam are prioritized.
Furthermore, special attention is paid to ideas that disproportionately benefit women, youth and unserved or underserved markets in the country.
