Samia hypes clean cooking to African first ladies

DAR ES SALAAM: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has urged African first ladies to actively support the clean cooking initiative, emphasising that their influential roles can significantly advance a just energy transition both in their countries and across the continent.

President Samia made this heartfelt request during the inauguration of the 11th Merck Foundation Africa-Asia Luminary Conference in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.

She expressed confidence in the first ladies, who are also members of the Merck Foundation, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to improving education and healthcare in developing countries across Africa and Asia while addressing gender inequality and promoting community welfare.

The President noted that the clean cooking initiative aligns with the Merck Foundation’s goals of enhancing inclusivity, which can be championed by the first ladies in their respective nations to ensure effective implementation.

As the only female president in Africa, President Samia has been a vocal advocate for clean cooking at regional and international forums. She highlighted that, despite the growing global attention to this eco-friendly initiative, it still needs more backing from influential women, particularly first ladies.

“I urge you, my dear sisters, to passionately embrace the clean cooking agenda and encourage our fellow presidents to prioritise it, helping women achieve cleaner cooking solutions,” she said.

The clean cooking initiative aims to protect women, who are often the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of unclean cooking methods, which also contribute to environmental degradation through greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide.

The use of firewood and charcoal poses serious health risks, including respiratory diseases like lung cancer, particularly affecting women on the continent.

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Therefore, President Samia emphasised that the clean cooking initiative represents a gender-sensitive approach to a just energy transition in Africa.

The conference, which concluded yesterday, brought together numerous dignitaries, including 15 African first ladies from countries such as Kenya, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

President Samia’s call to the first ladies highlights her ongoing commitment to promoting the transition from traditional fuels to modern, eco-friendly cooking methods alongside various collaborators. In December of last year, she launched the Africa Women Clean Cooking Support Programme (AWCCSP) at the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

This initiative positions her as a champion for eco-friendly cooking energy across the continent. President Samia pointed out that approximately 80 per cent of households in Sub-Saharan Africa still rely on wooden biomass energy, which has detrimental effects on both health and the environment.

She explained that this heavy reliance on biomass has led to deforestation, with about 3.9 million hectares of forest lost between 2010 and 2020, hindering the continent’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions.