Driving Tanzania's clean cooking revolution.
Insights from the 5th Tanzania Energy Cooperation Summit
Lamine Diallo, Head of Natural Resources, Delegation of the European Union in Tanzania, Rehema Mbalamwezi, Vice President Operations, Up Energy, Eng. Advera Mwijage, Director of Renewable Energy & Alternative Technologies, Rural Energy Agency (REA), Samwel Kessy, Manager Research, TANESCO, United Republic of Tanzania Chris Mbori, CEO, Eenovators Limited, Eng. Atupele Kilindu, Researcher, Energy Engineer, Tanzania Industrial Research & Development Organisation, Imanuel Muro, CookFund Programme Manager, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
In a bid to accelerate Tanzania's clean cooking revolution, UNCDF Tanzania, in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and UNDP, co-sponsored a session at The Tanzania Energy Cooperation Summit (TECS) on 1 February 2024, the second day of the 2-day meeting. The diverse panelists explored topics under the overarching theme of 'Investing in Efficiency: Tanzania's Clean Cooking Revolution and the Power of Innovation,' emphasizing the need to build the market for clean cooking solutions in Tanzania, increasing access and raising national awareness.
Imanuel Muro, the CookFund Programme Manager, delivered compelling points during a panel discussion moderated by Lamine Diallo, Head of Natural Resources, Delegation of the European Union in Tanzania. Muro acknowledged that ‘President Samia Suluhu Hassan has brought new momentum in the drive to promote clean cooking solutions, particularly for African women.’ He outlined CookFund’s results-based financing in support of the private sector, for the market rollout to the end user.
Imanuel Muro, CookFund Programme Manager and Senior Finance Specialist, UNCDF Tanzania, speaks on a panel during a session jointly hosted by the European Union, UNCDF and UNDP at the 5th Tanzania Energy Cooperation Summit. The theme for the session was ‘Investing in Efficiency - Tanzania's Clean Cooking Revolution.
Rehema Mbalamwezi from UpEnergy, a beneficiary of the programme underscored the importance of aligning the rollout with the efficiency of the clean cooking solutions noting that the cost per kilowatt per hour (kWh) is a factor in switching or adoption of cleaner solutions. The Director of Renewable Energy and Alternative Technologies from the Rural Electrification Agency(REA), shared the progress made by the government highlighting the integration of all clean cooking solutions in the transition from LPG cylinders to briquettes. Notably, large institutions such as prisons, universities, national service institutions and schools have started shifting to cleaner cooking energy.
During the discussion, Muro pointed out that Dodoma University has adopted briquettes in its cafeterias which serve about 45,000 people daily. The demand for clean cooking is huge and initiatives such as CookFund can potentially impact millions of people. The case of Dodoma University is an impressive demonstration that underscores the tangible benefits of investing in clean cooking solutions.
As the nation charts its path towards prioritizing sustainability, initiatives like the CookFund are poised to play a crucial role in shaping positive change that helps Tanzania attain its target of 80% adoption by 2032.
Read more about UNCDF's CookFund Programme HERE.
