Africa’s development blueprint: Agenda 2063 seeks to transform the continent into a global powerhouse. The transformation should among other things deliver an inclusive and sustainable development by leveraging on the immerse natural and human resources in the continent. Against this backdrop of ambition an often-neglected contributor to a healthy economy is the role of clean cooking services in supporting a healthy population. This report delves into the challenges and potential solutions regarding clean cooking in Africa, emphasizing on the Sub-Saharan region, the most challenging area globally for clean cooking access.
Key messages from first chapter include:
- Off-track on SDG7 Targets Progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), which includes access to clean cooking, is significantly lagging. Without substantial acceleration, SDG 7.1.2 will not be met in Africa .
- Disproportionate Access From 2010 and 2021, access to clean cooking fuels and technologies in Africa increased at an average annual rate of 1.76%. While some individual countries have made significant advances, the successes are overshadowed by the alarmingly slow progress in Sub-Saharan Africa where progress has not managed to keep up with population growth.
- Rural-Urban Divide The access gap between urban and rural areas has widened over the last two decades. Significant progress has been made in urban settings-although 58.3% still relied on polluting fuels to meet their cooking needs in 2021- but uptake in rural areas has been slow with only a 5.8 percentage point decrease in the use of polluting fuels for cooking over the past twenty years (down from 86.6% in 2000 to 80.8% in 2021).
- Cost of Inaction The costs of continuing the current state of access sums up to US$ 791.4 billion per year calculated from the negative externalities of gender equality, health, and climate.
The continued use of traditional cooking methods imposes severe financial and health costs. Women and children, who spend more time near cooking areas, are disproportionately affected by health issues like respiratory diseases. Economically, the lack of clean cooking fuels results in productivity losses and increased medical expenses. Environmentally, traditional cooking methods contribute to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.