Access to clean cooking is far more than an energy challenge, it is a human development imperative. It lies at the nexus of equity, climate resilience, public health, and gender justice. Yet, despite growing momentum in electrification, clean cooking remains a neglected frontier. The disparity is stark: while access to electricity has improved, nearly one billion people in sub-Saharan Africa still rely on open fires and inefficient stoves that burn wood, charcoal, coal, crop waste, dung, or kerosene. This silent crisis exposes millions to deadly household air pollution, contributing to over 463,000 preventable deaths annually and costing the region an estimated $66 billion in healthcare expenses.

Women and girls bear the brunt of this burden. In many communities, they spend up to 50 hours a week collecting firewood time that could be invested in education, income-generating activities, or caregiving. Clean cooking is not just about stoves; it’s about unlocking time, dignity, and economic opportunity.

A Strategic imperative for impact and fundamental transformation

To achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030, Africa must embrace a multi-dimensional strategy that integrates clean cooking into national energy plans, climate commitments, and development agendas. It means breaking down institutional and cultural barriers to adoption, embedding clean cooking in energy investment strategies and scaling up affordable, culturally appropriate technologies aligned with broader development goals.

Current annual investments in clean cooking stand at just $2.5 billion. To meet the scale of ambition, this figure must rise to $8 billion, with Africa contributing half. This calls for innovative financing mechanisms, inclusive policy frameworks, and robust public-private partnerships. We must also rethink delivery models, moving beyond fragmented procurement and distribution to integrated approaches that unlock jobs and enterprise across the energy value chain. Clean cooking should be positioned not as a peripheral concern, but as a driver of inclusive economic transformation.

In countries like Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Kenya, clean cooking initiatives are beginning to shift daily realities. Kikwanda, a woman from Zambia, shared her experience with a UNDP-supported cookstove: “Cooking over the traditional three-stone open fire makes me cough a lot and the smoke hurts my eyes too... it gives me teary eyes with a running nose,” she said. “But this stove produces less smoke and I don't cough anymore,” Stories like Kikwanda’s underscore the transformative potential of clean cooking, not just for health, but for dignity, safety, and empowerment.

Financing the Transition: From Pledges to Progress

Financing is not just a means, it is a signal of political will and a catalyst for community adaptation. Among the 128 updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by December 2024 under the Climate Promise, 45% include specific clean cooking targets. Technologies such as LPG, biogas, and electric cooking are gaining traction, but scaling requires a mix of approaches, including Carbon credits, Pay-as-you-go models, National financing mechanisms and Blended public-private investments.

For Africa to realise its clean-cooking future, the continent must go beyond conventional methods. It demands bold leadership, innovative financing, and collective commitment. The UN Global Roadmap on Just and Inclusive Clean Cooking Transition outlines the pathways to universal access by 2030 and sector decarbonisation by 2050. At COP28, the launch of the Global Electric Cooking Coalition (GeCCo) underscored the urgency of integrating clean cooking into electrification strategies, placing people, especially women and girls, at the heart of the transition. To fully unlock the potential of clean cooking, we must commit to four interlinked strategies:

1. Elevate clean cooking as a political and policy priority: Champion it through high-level African leadership and embed it within gender-responsive frameworks that align with national and regional development, climate, and energy agendas.
2. Strengthen institutional capacity and accountability: Invest in inclusive, well-resourced systems with clear mandates and coordination mechanisms to ensure no community is left behind.
3. Unlock finance and foster inclusive market innovation: Deploy de-risked financing, pioneering business models, and integrate clean cooking into broader value chains to enhance affordability and local adaptability.
4. Transform social norms and center women’s leadership: Challenge gendered barriers, unify advocacy efforts, and empower women as agents of change in the clean energy transition.

Clean cooking is no longer a side issue—it’s a cornerstone of development and climate strategy.

The momentum is building: the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) have outlined actionable pathways to universal access, and the IEA’s Clean Cooking Summit mobilised unprecedented pledges of $2.2 billion. Influential bodies like the G7 and G20 are stepping up, with Brazil’s G20 Presidency leading the development of a global clean cooking roadmap aligned with countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Regionally, the African Union and its Energy Commission (AFREC) have released a strategic framework to tackle the continent’s clean cooking deficit through coordinated, continent-wide action.

Africa now stands at a tipping point. By investing in scalable solutions and reimagining delivery models, the continent can drive a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable future. It’s time to move clean cooking from the margins to the mainstream, because a just transition truly starts in the kitchen.