Development partners are set to convene in Paris on May 14, with the aim of pledging towards the $4 billion required to provide clean cooking access for 250 million African women by 2030. The Clean Cooking Summit will be co-chaired by Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, alongside President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway, and Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency.
The summit is a significant event designed to effect considerable change in clean cooking access for nearly one billion Africans currently using polluting fuels. These fuels cause premature deaths of approximately half a million women and children annually. Women and girls spend up to five hours daily collecting fuel and cooking, leaving little time for education or social and economic activities. The annual global economic cost of women's and girl's time spent searching for fuel wood is estimated at $800 billion. The health costs reach as high as $1.4 trillion.
The capital investment needed to ensure universal clean cooking access in Africa by 2030 is accessible. The required $4 billion annually represents a small fraction of the $2.8 trillion invested globally in energy each year. The summit seeks to mobilize this much-needed finance by bringing together governments, development partners, private companies and NGOs to make concrete commitments and develop action-oriented strategies to accelerate progress on clean cooking.
Increased funding for clean cooking is expected from pledges made at the summit. Development partners are committing to allocate a higher share of their energy portfolios and work through private capital arms to bring more financing. Governments will prioritize clean cooking in national planning, create funded implementation programs, and introduce proven policies to support scaling clean cooking solutions.
Dr Adesina has pledged strong support from the Bank and outlined a three-pronged approach to achieve universal clean cooking access in Africa. This includes governments directing at least 5% of their annual energy investments towards clean cooking solutions and having multilateral and development finance institutions set aside a significant share of their annual energy financing for clean cooking solutions, including concessional blended financing and guarantees.
At COP28, Adesina announced that the Bank Group will channel $2 billion for clean cooking over the next decade. He also joined global leaders in supporting the Africa Women Clean Cooking Support Program launched by Tanzania's President Suluhu Hassan.
Clean cooking initiatives are eligible under the Climate Action Window (CAW) of the African Development Fund (ADF), the Bank Group’s concessional window for 37 of Africa’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. The Bank Group launched its first call during COP28, with $258 million in mostly grant funding, for climate adaptation proposals through the CAW, which seeks to raise $13 billion to accelerate climate adaptation in ADF countries. Increased adoption of cleaner cooking fuels such as electricity, biogas, and sustainable biofuels will improve health and well-being of Africa's women and children while also protecting Africa’s forests.
Several African governments have begun taking proactive measures to accelerate clean cooking adoption. Kenya has established a Clean Cooking Delivery Unit and introduced special electricity tariffs. Industry, international organizations, and multilateral fora will affirm their support for achieving clean cooking targets.
The Bank's commitment to addressing the clean cooking crisis aligns with its High 5 priorities -- particularly "Light Up and Power Africa" and "Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa." As Dr Adesina said at COP28, "Providing access to clean cooking is clearly doable in Africa. Let us prioritize saving the lives of women and children; let us make it easier for women to cook in dignity and safety."
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