Tanzania Clean Cooking Energy

Tanzania’s Ministry of Energy held a 2-day Clean Cooking Conference in Dar-es-Salaam on November 1-2, 2022. The conference brought together more than 1,000 participants from government, private sector, development partners and research and academia. According to the Ministry of Energy, 72% of the energy produced in Tanzania is used in homes and biomass accounts for approximately 90% of the primary energy supply in households. 65% of this energy is firewood, 26.2% charcoal and the remaining is a combination of LPG, electricity, and other sources. The health and environmental impact of the use of these energy sources are all too clear to see. The conference paved the way for much-needed action to mobilize the necessary funding, partnerships, and policies to achieve clean cooking for all and accelerate progress towards global climate and development goals. There is renewed energy and impetus in this sub-sector from the Tanzanian government, as was shown by the remarks made by the conference’s guest of Honor, President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Some key directives from President Hassan and take-aways from the conference include:

1. Forming a national clean cooking taskforce – the taskforce will be made up of members from government, private sector, development partners and research and academia. They will be tasked to develop a clean cooking 10-year strategy. The goal of this strategy will be to ensure at least 80% clean cooking energy usage in Tanzania by 2032. The strategy will also include recommendations of a policy, legal and regulatory framework to promote clean cooking, as well as address issues around affordability, accessibility, and sustainability of clean cooking solutions.
2. Establishment of Clean Cooking Fund – the fund will be used to promote the use of clean cooking. The government has set aside 500 million Tanzanian Shillings ($214,000 USD) and hopes to attract the private sector and development partners to contribute to this fund as well.

Opportunities for U.S. Companies:

• Supply of small-scale residential gas cylinders
• Manufacturing of low-cost portable gas stoves
• Setting up a gas distribution and cylinder refilling network (e-Commerce)

If you have clean cooking solutions and you are seeking to expand your exports or find partners in Tanzania, please contact Commercial Specialist Andrew Mahiga at the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Embassy, Dar-es-Salaam andrew.mahiga@trade.gov.