Energy
African leaders press for delayed clean cooking funds at COP31
Leaders from Tanzania, Lesotho and Uganda shared progress on expanding clean cooking access at COP31 while warning that millions in pledged international finance remain undelivered.
Key points
- Tanzania reported that clean cooking access rose from 16 percent in 2022 to 28.6 percent by March 2024.
- International Energy Agency data indicates that only US$740 million of the US$2.2 billion pledged at the 2024 Paris summit has been disbursed.
- African nations and the OPEC Fund estimate that the continent requires between US$2 billion and US$4 billion annually for clean cooking.
What happened
African leaders gathered at a roundtable during the COP31 climate talks in Antalya, Türkiye, to highlight advancements in household energy transitions while raising concerns over delayed funding. MyJoyOnline reported that representatives from Tanzania, Lesotho and Uganda detailed their respective national initiatives on 12 November.
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan stated that national clean cooking access reached 28.6 per cent by March 2024, up from 16 per cent in 2022. She credited the improvement to rural electrification, subsidies for liquefied petroleum gas equipment, tax incentives, and the Cook Fund programme. Lesotho's Deputy Prime Minister Justice Nthomeng Majara outlined local stove manufacturing and pilot electric pressure cooker projects, while Uganda highlighted a presidential executive order banning charcoal and an interim target of 50 per cent clean cooking access by 2030.
International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol noted during the discussions that approximately US$740 million out of the US$2.2 billion pledged at the 2014 Paris summit has reached 28 African countries, leaving roughly US$1.46 billion pending. Ambassador Ali Mohamed, speaking for Kenya, and representatives from the OPEC Fund for International Development emphasized that the continent needs between US$2 billion and US$4 billion annually to properly address energy poverty.
Why it matters
The push for clean cooking finance highlights the persistent gap between international climate pledges and practical deployment across developing economies. While countries like Tanzania and Uganda scale up domestic initiatives such as dedicated electricity tariffs and subsidized equipment, the slow arrival of pledged funds constrains broader implementation.
For energy investors and policymakers across the continent, bridging this financing gap is vital for public health, gender equality, and emissions reduction. With World Bank data showing that access to clean cooking remains severely limited in nations like Tanzania and Uganda, predictable concessional financing and private sector investment are necessary to accelerate the transition away from traditional biomass.
What comes next
Stakeholders are scheduled to convene again at the second Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, set to take place in Nairobi, Kenya, on 27 and 28 January 2027.
Original reporting
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Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
