ARDA, GLPGP to address Africa’s clean cooking crisis with $1b funding

The African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) and the Global LPG Partnership (GLPGP) are in talks over a $1 billion funding to address the growing clean cooking crisis in Africa.

Speaking at the ongoing ARDA Week in Cape Town, South Africa, Executive Secretary of ARDA, Anibor Kragha, said Africa faces a serious public health crisis if clean cooking is not prioritised.

While about one billion people lack access to clean cooking in Africa with death records from cooking with firewood at about four million people a year, the African Development Bank noted that at least $4 billion a year is necessary to bridge the gap in clean cooking on the continent.

Kragha said funding for clean cooking would be finalised in May during a conference slated to be held in Paris.

While Nigeria’s projected population is expected to reach about 400 million by 2050 with that of other African countries rising exponentially, Kragha said the issue of clean cooking is germane to addressing the public health burden which would further worsen the continent’s economic crisis.

Despite the push for fossil fuel, Kragha said Africa cannot ignore investing in hydrocarbon, adding that energy transition must be just and equitable for African countries.

“The sustainable energy transition for Africa must be inclusive and equitable and a roadmap must be deployed that captures priorities, challenges and perspectives of Africa’s low-emitting countries. The roadmap must not prioritize near-term emissions reduction over support for economic development and energy transformation,” Kragha said.

ARDA had at the conference said a database of sustainable energy projects across the continent would be launched to enable the continent to create a roadmap for the downstream petroleum sector on the continent ahead of the United Nations Conference of Party to be held later this year.

ARDA President Mustapha Abdul-Hamid noted that there is a need for an actionable roadmap that would transition Africa’s current energy mix towards a more sustainable carbon footprint.

“We are confident that all African and international stakeholders will effectively deliberate on key issues impacting our sector and implementing an achievable roadmap that moves Africa’s energy mix towards a more sustainable and lower carbon footprint over the coming decades,” Abdul-Hamid said.