Tanzania’s clean energy stakeholders’ gear up to support national clean cooking revolution
What you need to know:
- President Hassan’s 10-year strategy, valued at $1.8 billion (Sh4 trillion), aims to ensure that 80 percent of Tanzanians transition to clean cooking energy by 2034
Dar es Salaam. In a bid to transform the nation’s cooking practices and significantly reduce carbon emissions, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has launched a pivotal plan to unite stakeholders and investors in Tanzania’s energy sector.
The goal is to achieve the national vision of widespread clean cooking energy by 2034.
Following the recent unveiling of the national clean cooking energy strategy by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the UNCDF organised a three-day symposium under the theme, Markets and technology in transforming clean cooking in line with the national clean energy strategy 2024-2034.
This event, held in Dar es Salaam from June 19 through June 21, 2024, has brought together key players in the clean energy value chain to discuss practical steps towards this ambitious target.
President Hassan’s 10-year strategy, valued at $1.8 billion (Sh4 trillion), aims to ensure that 80 percent of Tanzanians transition to clean cooking energy by 2034.
This initiative is part of the broader Tanzanian government’s efforts to curb emissions, contribute to global carbon reduction and combat climate change.
Notably, Tanzania’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) has set a new target to reduce economy-wide emissions by 30-35 percent by 2030, a significant increase from the previous 10-20 percent goal.
Deputy Minister of Energy, Ms Judith Kapinga, addressed the symposium, emphasising the critical role of the private sector in achieving the 10-year clean energy goal.
“For us to reach our target, the private sector must step up and support the transition to clean energy for many Tanzanians,” she stated.
President Hassan also urged the Ministry of Energy to collaborate with various stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of this strategy.
“The President’s call to stakeholders and the private sector is clear: We need joint efforts to make this vision a reality,” Ms Kapinga noted.
The symposium gathered policymakers, innovators, international partners, and private sector representatives, fostering a collaborative environment to tackle the challenges and opportunities within the clean cooking energy value chain.
The focus was on acquiring appropriate technologies and expanding markets to drive progress towards the national goals set for 2024-2034.
The Head of UNCDF Tanzania, Mr Peter Malika, highlighted the importance of such stakeholder meetings. “This symposium is crucial for unifying efforts towards our sustainable goals.
It provides a platform for forming partnerships and advancing the clean cooking energy agenda, ultimately improving the health of many Tanzanians,” he said.
Mr Malika also stressed the need for strategic awareness campaigns to change the current scenario, where 90 percent of Tanzanians are not using clean cooking energy.
“We need to address availability and affordability challenges through collective efforts to support the government’s clean cooking strategy,” he added.
Supporting these sentiments, Programme Manager Energy at the European Union in Tanzania, Mr Massimiliano Pedretti, spoke about the EU-funded CookFund project.
“Through CookFund, we have supported over 60 companies involved in clean cooking energy with Sh8 billion already. We will continue to support Tanzania in achieving its clean cooking goals,” he affirmed.
