By Foday Moriba Conteh
President Dr. Julius Maada Bio, along with Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella and other key figures from over 60 nations came together at the Clean Cooking Summit in Paris on the 14th May, 2023 to pledge $4 billion towards providing clean cooking access.
The initiative aims to benefit 250 Million African women by 2030. Dr Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, PM Jonas Gahr Støre and IEA’s Executive Director Fatih Birol are leading this important effort to revolutionize clean cooking for nearly one billion Africans, ultimately reducing pollution-related deaths of approximately half a million women and children each year.
Approximately 60 countries, companies and development institutions united in Paris to allocate significant resources towards addressing a critical issue affecting women and children. Led by the Governments of Tanzania and Norway, the African Development Bank and the International Energy Agency, the historic Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa has secured a groundbreaking financial commitment to address longstanding inequalities.
With over 1,000 delegates and financial pledges totaling 2.2 billion, the Summit represents a crucial advancement in providing clean cooking access to the over 1 billion people in Africa experiencing this challenge.
President Bio, who was a keynote speaker at the summit said he was honoured to deliver the keynote address at the first ever Clean Cooking Summit in Paris. He outlined his Government’s strategic initiatives to prioritize access to clean cooking further applauding the IEA and African Development Bank for their investments in the health and future of women, communities and the planet.
“This summit will heighten awareness of the need for access to clean cooking in Africa and the need for Governments and international partners to collaborate closely”, he intimated the audience.
He highlighted the IEA analysis on clean cooking, emphasizing that 2.3 billion people worldwide still cook using traditional methods like open fires or basic stoves, with 1 in 5 of these individuals residing in Africa. He stressed the need for action, stating that clean cooking is often overlooked in energy access planning and electrification efforts and that the summit serves as a crucial call to address that issue for the betterment of communities globally.
The Sierra Leonean President outlined plans for a significant expansion of clean cooking services emphasizing its importance and impact on African communities.
The host of the Paris Clean Cooking Summit 2024 thanked President Bio for working with Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, as an expert in the field of energy saying he is indeed an assert to any team and that the world respect him so much for his knowledge and expertise.
Additionally, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a special session at the Elysée Palace for Heads of State and other leaders that were participating in the important summit.
The groundbreaking summit ended raising $2.2 billion to revolutionize clean cooking access in Africa by 2024.
