African countries have secured an additional $900 million in financial commitments to accelerate access to clean cooking technologies, bringing total pledges to more than $3.1 billion since the inaugural Africa Clean Cooking Summit in 2024. The funding will support cleaner fuels, improved cooking technologies, and infrastructure while advancing health, energy access, and climate goals across the continent.

Key Overview

• Africa secured $900 million in new clean cooking commitments.
• Total funding now exceeds $3.1 billion since the 2024 Africa Clean Cooking Summit.
• Nearly 1 billion Africans still lack access to clean cooking.
• 121 new clean cooking policies have been introduced across more than 30 African countries.
• IEA launched a Clean Cooking Security Programme to strengthen LPG supply chains.

New Funding Strengthens Africa’s Clean Cooking Transition

African countries have secured $900 million in new financial commitments to accelerate access to clean cooking technologies, strengthening efforts to reduce household air pollution, improve public health, and support sustainable development across the continent.

The new commitments were announced during a virtual high-level meeting on clean cooking convened by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Government of Kenya. The funding builds on the $2.2 billion mobilized during the inaugural Africa Clean Cooking Summit held in Paris in 2024, bringing total commitments to more than $3.1 billion.

The investments will help expand access to cleaner cooking fuels, modern cookstoves, and supporting infrastructure, addressing one of Africa’s largest energy access challenges.

Nearly One Billion Africans Still Lack Clean Cooking

Despite growing investment, clean cooking remains one of Africa’s biggest development challenges.

According to the IEA, nearly one billion people across the continent still rely on charcoal, firewood, kerosene, and other polluting fuels for everyday cooking.

Traditional cooking methods generate harmful indoor air pollution that contributes to approximately 850,000 premature deaths each year, disproportionately affecting women and children who spend the most time near household cooking fires.

Clean cooking technologies—including electricity, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol, biogas, and other low-emission fuels—significantly reduce indoor pollution while improving health, reducing deforestation, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Funding Begins Reaching African Countries

The IEA reported that implementation of previous commitments is already underway.

According to Executive Director Fatih Birol, approximately $740 million, representing roughly one-third of the funding pledged during the 2024 summit, has already been deployed across 22 African countries.

The newly announced $900 million demonstrates continued international confidence in Africa’s clean cooking agenda, with additional financial commitments expected before the next Africa Clean Cooking Summit later this year.

Governments Accelerate Policy Reforms

Alongside increased financing, African governments are also strengthening policy support for clean cooking.

The IEA reported that 121 new clean cooking policies have been introduced across more than 30 African countries since the Paris summit. These countries account for approximately 80% of Africa’s population without access to clean cooking.

The agency is working closely with the African Union to strengthen national policy frameworks under a continent-wide clean cooking strategy and action plan designed to accelerate investment and improve implementation.

The growing number of policy reforms is expected to create a more supportive investment environment while improving access to cleaner fuels and technologies.

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Leaders Call for Greater Investment

The virtual meeting brought together senior government leaders and international organizations, including:

• Kenyan President William Ruto
• Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre
• U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright
• African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Lerato Mataboge
• IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol

President Ruto emphasized that financing remains the greatest barrier to achieving universal access to clean cooking across Africa.

He noted that while governments have demonstrated strong ambition, significantly larger investments will be needed to close the remaining access gap.

Chris Wright described clean cooking as one of the world’s most overlooked development challenges, highlighting its direct impact on health, gender equality, education, and economic development.

New Programme Targets Fuel Supply Security

The IEA also launched a new Clean Cooking Security Programme, a public-private initiative aimed at strengthening global supply chains for clean cooking fuels.

The programme focuses particularly on improving the availability and resilience of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies following disruptions earlier this year caused by shipping challenges through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the IEA, approximately 30% of globally traded LPG was affected by those disruptions, highlighting the vulnerability of international fuel supply chains.

Today, more than 3.4 billion people worldwide rely on LPG as their primary cooking fuel.

The programme will provide technical assistance to countries seeking to strengthen fuel security while promoting greater international cooperation across clean cooking supply chains.

Clean Cooking Supports Climate and Development Goals

Expanding access to clean cooking delivers benefits that extend well beyond household energy.

Greater adoption of cleaner fuels reduces pressure on forests by lowering demand for firewood and charcoal, helping conserve biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions.

Modern cooking technologies also improve health outcomes by reducing exposure to harmful smoke, lower household fuel costs in many communities, increase energy security, and free up time—particularly for women and girls—previously spent collecting firewood.

As African countries pursue universal energy access alongside climate commitments, clean cooking is increasingly recognized as a critical component of both sustainable development and emissions reduction strategies.

Outlook

The additional $900 million in commitments reflects growing international momentum behind Africa’s clean cooking transition. While significant progress has been made through increased financing, stronger policies, and expanding partnerships, nearly one billion Africans still lack access to clean cooking technologies. Continued investment, improved fuel security, supportive government policies, and stronger public-private collaboration will be essential to achieving universal clean cooking access while delivering major health, environmental, and climate benefits across the continent.

FAQs

1. How much new funding was announced for Africa’s clean cooking initiatives?

African countries secured $900 million in new financial commitments, increasing total pledges to more than $3.1 billion.

2. Why is clean cooking important in Africa?

Clean cooking reduces household air pollution, improves health, lowers carbon emissions, reduces deforestation, and enhances energy access for millions of households.

3. How many Africans still lack access to clean cooking?

According to the IEA, nearly one billion people across Africa still rely on polluting cooking fuels such as charcoal and firewood.

4. What is the IEA’s new Clean Cooking Security Programme?

It is a public-private initiative designed to strengthen global supply chains for clean cooking fuels, particularly LPG, while improving fuel security and supporting international cooperation.

Sources: Binghamton News & Weather, TribLIVE, ABC News, Audacy 

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