Clean cooking in Africa is finally starting to get the spotlight it deserves

By Fernando Tartaglia

“The number one issue is clean cooking”

“Today in Africa, when it comes to energy and climate, the number one issue is clean cooking,” said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA (International Energy Agency), in EURACTIV.

Globally, almost one-third of people cook their meals over an open fire or traditional stoves using charcoal, wood, kerosene, coal, agricultural waste, or even animal dung. In Sub-Saharan Africa, those numbers are even higher – and growing – with four out of five Sub-Saharan Africans currently without access to clean cooking.

Rudimentary and inefficient cooking methods release harmful substances into the atmosphere, worsening the climate crisis and causing 3.7 million premature deaths every year due to smoke inhalation and indoor air pollution. Women and children are disproportionately represented in those figures, as are people from Sub-Saharan African countries.

Annual CO2 emissions from cooking are estimated to have reached an enormous 1.69 gigatons in 2020 – more than the entire aviation sector. Responsible for 50% of black carbon, a major contributor to global climate change, cooking emissions are also often of the most damaging kinds. Such widespread use of firewood and other biomass fuels also contributes to deforestation amounting to the loss of a forest the size of Ireland every year.

The world has reached a turning point

After years of inaction, there is a window of opportunity – and a groundbreaking 2.2 billion US dollars pledged – to address the challenge of clean cooking in Africa. The technology to resolve this problem already exists, so what the world needs now are clear and ambitious targets and tools that will ensure the right solutions are deployed.

With almost 60 nations joining the IEA’s clean cooking summit in May 2024, alongside corporations and development organisations, there is a newfound appetite from the global community to tackle this issue. Going forward, collaboration will be key, with society, governments, NGOs, public entities, and the private sector all having a role to play – but ambition must remain high if we are to succeed.

Ambitious product policy and standards are essential for delivering clean cooking

Advancing clean, secure, efficient, and circular cooking is crucial – and it must happen quickly. Alongside high-level commitments from governments, implementation is an important piece of the puzzle. There’s a need to craft effective policies, regulations, and technical standards that apply to clean cooking solutions.

From our new Africa office, ECOS has started working towards supporting the participation of environmental stakeholders in standardisation, promoting the integration of environmental objectives, increasing the technical capacity of NGOs, and supporting the development of ambitious energy policies. We use our years of experience and technical knowledge to help shape product policies and standards that deliver energy savings, reduce polluting emissions, and increase the circularity of appliances – including those used for cooking.

In line with African objectives on clean cooking like the Nairobi Declaration and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG7 on universal clean cooking access), we advocate making clean cooking a policy priority at national, regional, and international levels. Ambitions need to be underpinned by regulations and technical standards that maximise environmental benefits and promote clean cooking solutions.

Cookstoves must emit less and be more energy efficient, safe, and durable – for the future of our planet, and for better public health. We want to collaborate with other local partners to contribute to achieving this goal in Africa. Is that you? Get in touch!