On 8^th September 2023, KEPSA, through its Knowledge Center Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya (SIB-K), participated in a session on clean cooking contribution to NDC obligations, a side event on the sidelines of the Regional Climate Weeks at KICC. Ebenezer Amadi, the SIB-K Program Manager, moderated the panel discussion to share experiences on the potential benefits of mainstreaming clean cooking in various national plans, such as the NDC commitments.

The event provided insights from country examples such as Kenya, Uganda, and Senegal, highlighting the potential for replication in other contexts to drive climate-driven energy transitions. The NDC sets out commitments (both unconditional and conditional) to climate change mitigation and adaptation at the country level.

For instance, Kenya aims to achieve 100 percent access to clean cooking by 2028 and clean energy by 2030. One of the pathways to achieving this target is the adoption and uptake of electric cooking in households, with 75% of the households connected to electricity.

“The National Cleaning Cooking Strategy will provide a roadmap for achieving universal access to clean cooking by 2028 by identifying strategic interventions, setting timelines, estimating the cost, and deriving indicators for monitoring and evaluating its implementation,” noted Dr. Faith Odongo – Deputy Director of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Kenya.

By transitioning to efficient cookstoves and cleaner fuels, countries can cut emissions, improve air quality, and advance SDG 13 on Climate Action and SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being, among other goals, in one impactful stride and ultimately achieve the climate change-related targets.

Yet, more awareness is required to increase transition, as Justine Akumu, the Energy Officer at Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, emphasized. “As we transition to clean energy, it’s essential to include the consumers that are heavily reliant on traditional cooking methods by creating awareness of the negative impacts on their lives and the environment, the available alternatives, and access to financing to enable the acceleration of the use of clean cooking,” she said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that replacing traditional open fires with improved cooking stoves can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 0.6 and 2.4 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

“Further, clean cooking technologies contribute to health benefits and income-generating activities, with about 1,600 green jobs created by our clean cooking projects in Kenya and Senegal,” added Alexander Haack, Project Leader, Promotion of Climate-Friendly Cooking: Kenya and Senegal, GIZ

The panelists called for increased investment in mainstreaming clean cooking actions, which have been part of the national agenda in various African countries in their efforts to realize their climate goals.

“It’s time to have definitive solutions and increase investments in clean cooking in Africa to improve the health of our populations,” concluded Pape Samba Ba, Director of Hydrocarbons, Senegal’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.