Africa’s rapidly growing population, which is projected to rise to 2.5 billion by 2050 and 4.2 billion within the next century, the African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) has called for improved adoption of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) to address the clean energy crisis across all African countries.

Speaking at the opening remarks of the 2024 ARDA LPG Forum, Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and President of ARDA, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid insisted on adopting LPG as a cleaner, safer cooking alternative across the continent, adding that the global progress towards achieving the seventh United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 7) — ensuring affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all — remains slow, and Africa lags the most in access to clean cooking solutions.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 80 per cent of Africans still rely on polluting fuels like firewood, charcoal, and other biomass for cooking.

The use of these traditional methods not only threatens the health of millions but also worsens deforestation and contributes to climate change.

With women and children often bearing the brunt of the challenges and suffering from respiratory diseases and losing time that could be used for education or income-generating activities, Abdul-Hamid said nearly half a million premature deaths occur annually on the continent due to indoor air pollution from unsafe cooking practices.

He said the 2024 ARDA LPG Forum, themed “Revolutionizing LPG Adoption and Long-Term Sustainability as a Cleaner Cooking Alternative across Africa,” builds on discussions held earlier in the year at ARDA Week in Cape Town and the African Clean Cooking Summit in Paris.

Abdul-Hamid said scaling up financing for clean cooking in Africa, adding that clean cooking must be positioned as a policy priority with multi-stakeholder partnerships.

He stressed the need for Africa to move actionable steps by uniting regulators, financiers, project developers, and other key players along the LPG value chain.

“Our goal is to align on critical areas of collaboration to significantly increase LPG consumption across Africa,” Abdul-Hamid stated.

Abdul-Hamid noted that achieving universal access to LPG would not only provide a cleaner and healthier cooking option but also play a critical role in meeting Africa’s energy transition goals.

He stated, however, that challenges such as infrastructure development and affordability must be addressed to ensure long-term sustainability.

Abdul-Hamid urged participants to engage meaningfully in discussions and align on strategies that would accelerate LPG adoption across the continent.