Clean Cooking Push Could Change Daily Life for a Billion Africans

For the hundreds of millions of Africans who still cook over smoky fires, the outcome of a roundtable held on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya may shape one of the most basic aspects of daily life: how a family prepares its meals, and whether doing so endangers their health.

Nearly 1 billion people across the continent still lack access to clean cooking solutions, leaders at COP31 warned. Reliance on polluting cooking fuels and technologies contributes to around 850 000 premature deaths each year in Africa. The burden falls hardest on women and children, who often spend hours each day collecting fuel and cooking. Participants at the Leaders’ Roundtable on Clean Cooking in Africa stressed that clean cooking remains one of the most pressing energy, health and climate challenges of our time.

The roundtable was convened by the IEA, Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency and the United Republic of Tanzania, bringing together heads of state, ministers, international organisations, development finance institutions and industry leaders. Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director, moderated the session. Opening remarks came from Vice-President Cevdet Yılmaz of Türkiye and President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania. Other high-level participants included Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama of Somalia, Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara of Lesotho, Minister of Environment Kahinda Otafiire of Uganda and Minister of Environment Jiwoh Abdulai of Sierra Leone, along with UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo, OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa and COP30 President André Corrêa do Lago.

The meeting aimed to sustain momentum ahead of the second Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, to be held in Nairobi on 27-28 January 2027. Attention is now turning to that summit, co-chaired by President William Ruto of Kenya, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway, United States Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. The Summit has already secured an additional USD 900 million in new financial commitments, with more expected ahead of the meeting. It is co-organised by the Clean Cooking Alliance, with support from the African Union and the African Development Bank Group, and governments, institutions and companies have been invited to participate and match ambition with financing and delivery.

Meanwhile, the case for urgency rests on measurable progress since the first Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, hosted by the IEA in Paris in 2024, which mobilised more than USD 2.2 billion in new financial commitments. More than a third of that funding has since been deployed in projects across 28 African countries, while governments have introduced more than 120 new clean cooking policies. The pace at which people are gaining access to clean cooking in Africa is now 30% higher than the average over the past five years, despite headwinds from disruptions to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

Birol said access to clean cooking remains one of the most urgent and overlooked energy challenges facing Africa today. “We are encouraged by the progress we have seen since we hosted our first Summit in Paris two years ago, with more funding reaching projects on the ground and more households gaining access to modern cooking solutions,” he said. “But there is still far more to be done.” He noted that nearly 1 billion people across the continent still lack access to clean and safe ways to cook their meals, with serious consequences for health and livelihoods, particularly for women and children, who bear the greatest burden. “Our priority now is to ensure the Nairobi Summit brings further commitments and, above all, faster progress in getting clean cooking solutions to the people who need them.”

Vice-President Yılmaz framed the issue in human terms, saying clean cooking is not only an energy issue. “Every year, hundreds of thousands of people die prematurely, most of them women and children,” he said. “Solving clean cooking means healthier families, stronger women and more sustainable societies.” He called for finance to be mobilised through the concerted effort of governments, international organisations, development banks and the private sector, describing the issue as one requiring urgent and collective action and implementation.

President Hassan emphasised that success must be measured not only by the resources mobilised but by the number of families gaining access to affordable, reliable and sustainable clean cooking solutions. “Clean cooking is an investment in human development, women’s empowerment, economic opportunity, and climate resilience,” she said.

By contrast with past neglect, discussions also highlighted the need to expand access not only for households but also schools, hospitals and other public institutions, while supporting local and women-led enterprises and mobilising the finance and partnerships needed to deliver solutions at scale. Speakers noted that clean cooking has become an increasingly prominent part of the international energy and climate agenda, with successive COP Presidencies helping carry the momentum forward to next year’s summit in Nairobi. Further details of the roundtable and the road to Nairobi are available at https://www.iea.org/news/leaders-at-cop31-seek-to-accelerate-clean-cooking-progress-in-africa-ahead-of-nairobi-summit.

Whether the Nairobi summit can translate commitments into cleaner air in millions of kitchens across the continent will be the measure of its success.