World leaders have today pledged their commitment to clean cooking to save women and children from all the hazards of unclean cooking. The commitment was made during the International Agency Energy (IEA) Clean Cooking summit in Paris, France.
In his keynote address, President Julius Maada Bio said Clean Cooking is a matter of utmost importance as it is often overlooked in the energy access and electrification planning processes in our countries, stressing that no country can achieve the Global Net-Zero Target without a robust effort to address access to clean cooking solutions in Africa and South Asia in particular.
In the context of Sierra Leone, President Bio stated that the 2023 SDG Tracking Report shows Sierra Leone’s access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking was at only 0.8% in 2021, with 1.5% of the population in urban areas having access and 0% in rural areas with access.
Highlighting measures his government has instituted to achieve clean cooking, he stressed, “The absence of access to clean cooking solutions significantly affects Sierra Leone’s economy, with estimated annual costs of inaction totaling US$4.7 billion. So, this Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa to Make 2024 a Turning Point for Clean Cooking is critical for Sierra Leone, and hence my presence here today.”
He noted that his government has mainstreamed clean cooking in the energy planning processes, and in the third quarter of this year, it will finalise these key policy instruments and initiatives to address clean cooking issues: to complete a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition Plan or Green Growth Plan.
The President called on all to act decisively to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7, adding “you are here because you want to make a difference, so let us join hands and make a difference, change lives, and protect our environment”.
The President of the United Republic of Tanzania HE Samia Suluhu Hassan in her statement said lack of commitment, insufficient funding, lack of awareness research and absence of smart partnerships are a major challenge in accessing cleaning cooking. She said effectively advancing the clean cooking agenda in Africa would help protect the environment, provide women more opportunities to engage in other productive activities and break the circle of poverty and inequality.
In his statement, the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina recalled losing a friend through the use of kerosine and the effect of unclean cooking, forcing him to use a lens at an early age. He expressed dismay over the analysis that over 1.2 billion women do not have access to clean cooking as they rely on firewood and charcoal.
Dr Adesina disclosed that access to clean cooking is more than cooking “it is about human dignity, fairness, justice and equity for women. It is more than lighting of the stoves; it is about life itself”.
The ADB President pledged 2 billion Dollars to clean cooking, as his organisation stands ready to work with the energy sectors for the success of clean cooking.
During the summit world leaders committed to supporting clean cooking in Africa.
