DODOMA: SPEAKER of the Parliament Dr Tulia Ackson has expressed the House’s commitment to support the clean energy cooking campaign President Samia Suluhu Hassan champions to reduce the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking.
Dr Tulia made the commitment yesterday during the launching event of the national strategy for clean cooking energy for 2024- 2034 held at Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam.
The launch is among initiatives by the government to undertake specific measures to reduce the use of solid biomass energy for cooking. It is also part of the initiatives to boost the usage of clean cooking energy to reach 80 per cent in ten years.
Speaker Tulia said that Dr Samia as champion of clean cooking energy, extended a call for developed nations to unlock climate change financing to lowincome countries, including Tanzania during the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) held in Glasgow Scotland in November 2021.
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According to Dr Tulia, President Samia said at the COP26 that she would strive to uplift women economically in Tanzania, Africa and the world at large. She said that clean cooking energy frees women economically because they have been using a lot of their time gathering firewood which means they do not have enough time to engage in other economic activities.
Dr Tulia further said that clean cooking energy will protect women’s health as wooden biomass energy has been leading to health complications among women after prolonged inhalation of thick fumes from firewood.
She commended President Dr Samia for practically implementing the promises she made when she came to power regarding protecting the environment and reducing the burden on women.
President Samia has carried shoulder on, the clean energy agenda and in December last year at the 28th COP 28 held in Dubai, she launched a clean cooking energy strategy for African Women. Since the country embarked on a clean cooking energy campaign, various leaders and institutions have been supporting the strategy.
In April this year, the Consul of Seychelles in Tanzania, Ms Maryvonne Pool, called for support to President Samia’s efforts to advocate for clean cooking energy use. Ms Pool, who is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the African Reflections Foundation (ARF), stated that she recognises the contribution of President Samia who has been named champion in advocating for the use of clean cooking energy.
The diplomat made the remarks at an event to hand over 400 cooking gas cylinders and stoves to women at Mwalusembe Ward, Mkuranga District, Coast Region. At the event, Ms Pool emphasised the protection of the environment as they encouraged the residents to stop cutting trees for firewood and charcoal.
