Embassies of Norway and Tanzania Join CCA to Highlight Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa
The Embassies of Norway and Tanzania, together with the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA), hosted an event on June 11 in Washington, D.C., to report back on the recent Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa. Held at the Embassy of Norway, the event gathered high-level speakers and stakeholders, including Ambassadors from across Africa, to discuss ways to advance clean cooking initiatives across the continent.
“We are here not just to discuss another energy issue, but to drive a movement — one that transforms the pace and scale of progress on the most underinvested climate, health, and development challenge we face,” said Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of CCA. “This isn’t just a dream. It’s an achievable goal within our grasp. And we know how to do it.”
The recent Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, which took place on May 14 in Paris, underscored the urgency of addressing a global crisis that is too often overlooked and woefully underfunded. In Africa, three out of four people have no choice but to cook their meals over open fires and traditional stoves using polluting fuels.
[ Read CCA’s recap of the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa. ]
At the Embassy event, speakers emphasized the critical need for investment and international cooperation to increase access to clean cooking in Africa, while also improving outcomes for public health, women, and the environment.
“Providing universal access to clean cooking is a collective goal. This is a solvable problem,” said Anniken R. Krutnes, Ambassador of Norway. “Thank you to the Government of Tanzania, the Clean Cooking Alliance, and the U.S. for your leadership on this issue.”
“In efforts to reverse this alarming situation, the Government of Tanzania is committed to improving access to clean cooking energy for all Tanzanians,” said Dr. Elsie Sia Kanza, Ambassador of Tanzania. “Her Excellency President Samia Suluhu Hassan has made access to clean cooking energy one of her top priorities.”
The event also featured a high-level panel discussion focused on making 2024 a turning point for clean cooking in Africa. Moderated by CCA’s Senior Director for Advocacy and Communications Kip Patrick, the panel featured Ambassador of Ghana Alima Mahama, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the U.S. EPA Alejandra Nunez, and representatives from the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme. Panelists shared various strategies, including policy recommendations, technological innovations, and innovative financing mechanisms, that could accelerate progress toward universal access to clean cooking.
The seminar took place just ahead of the publication of the latest “Tracking SDG7 Report,” which highlighted that 2.1 billion people still lack access to clean cooking.
