The African Development Bank (AfDB) has said it would commit  $2 billion  towards clean cooking solutions in Africa over the next 10 years.

President of AfDB, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, who disclosed this at a summit on Clean Cooking in Africa held in Paris, France, said the institution would now commit 20 per cent of all its financing of energy projects towards promoting safe alternatives to cooking with charcoal, wood and biomass.

Addressing the summit plenary, Adesina noted that about  1.2 billion people lack access to clean cooking facilities, adding that Africa loses 600,000 women and children  yearly from the effects of secondary smoke from dirty cooking fuels.

“It is shocking that 1.2 billion people in Africa (that means 1.2 billion women) do not have access to clean cooking solutions. They rely on biomass, fuel wood and charcoal to cook. These hard-working women, who cook for their families, and their girls, spend several hours looking for and collecting fuel wood and charcoal. With bent backs, they carry loads of fuel wood and charcoal and walk several kilometers just to be able to cook a decent meal for their families,” he said.

“Africa loses over 600,000 women and children annually from the effects of secondary smoke from partial combustion of biomass, fuel wood and charcoal. That means we will lose 6 million women and children in ten years.

“It is estimated that globally, the health cost alone from impaired health is in the order of $1.4 trillion annually, with over half of ($700 billion annually) being in Africa.”

The AfDB president posited that access to clean cooking is more than cooking, stressing that it is about “human dignity, fairness, justice, and equity for women. It is more than the lighting of the stoves; it is about life.”

Harping on the imperative of clean cooking for the environment and climate change, Adesina noted that access to clean cooking would save at least 200 million hectares of forests globally, with 110 million being in Africa, by 2030.

He said: “Universal access to clean cooking will reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally by 1.9 gigatons of C02-equivalent, which is equal to all the emissions from airplanes and ships today.

“Providing universal access to clean cooking is right, fair, just, and the responsible thing to do.

“Our gathering here today will take decisive actions to solve this problem, at scale, once and for all, for women, for girls, for life, for the environment, and for dignity.

“The solutions for clean cooking are well known, from liquified petroleum gas (LPGs), natural gas for use for electricity to allow for electric stoves or e-cooking, use of ethanol and biogas. We know of so called improved clean cooking stoves, but they simply give efficiency in use of heat for cooking but still rely on fuelwood, charcoal, or biomass.

“Let’s be clear: there is nothing improved in continued suffering.

“No woman in Africa should have to cook again with fuelwood, charcoal, and biomass.”

According to Adesina, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates  that it will cost  $4 billion per year in Africa to achieve universal access to clean cooking, calling on governments on the continent to play their part by earmarking 5 percent of the current $80 billion annual spend on energy investments on clean cooking solutions.

He said: “African governments must play their leadership role. Governments must allocate at least 5 percent of the current total $80 billion spent on energy investments annually into the provision of clean cooking solutions, that will provide close to the $4 billion needed annually.

“The African Development Bank will play a major part in this collective effort and will now allocate 20 percent of all its financing for energy in Africa to clean cooking.

“I am therefore pleased to announce that the African Development Bank will commit $2 billion to clean cooking over the next ten years.

“We will work with governments to develop and roll out clean cooking solutions at scale, along with supportive policy, standards, safety, and regulations, as well as fiscal incentives to improve access and affordability.

“We cannot solve the global clean cooking challenge unless we solve it first in Africa.”

Adesina expressed the commitment of AfDB to collaborating with the IEA, African Clean Cooking Consortium, and partners to mobilize resources to address the challenge of access to clean cooking solutions in Africa.

“The African Development Bank stands ready to work with countries, the IEA, the African Clean Cooking Consortium, and partners to mobilize the resources to tackle this challenge and get done it—once and for all.

“Let us from today create a spark, and trigger a movement, to assure 100% access to clean cooking for women in Africa. I ask you all to join us on this movement,” the AfDB president added.

Receiving heads of state and government, and leaders of international organizations at the Elysee Palace to discuss the outcomes of the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron, commended AfDB’s leading role and commitment to delivering clean cooking solutions in Africa.

“As part of the Paris Pact for People and the Planet, and with the commitment of Tanzania, Norway, the International Energy Agency, the African Development Bank, and many other partners, we are taking a step forward against this silent scourge today. We are mobilizing $2.2 billion to provide clean alternatives to populations in Africa,” Macron said. “France pledges to invest €100 million over five years in clean cooking methods and will mobilize even more through the Paris Pact for People and the Planet and Finance in Common.”

The Summit was cochaired by United Republic of Tanzania President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre,  Adesina, and the Executive Director of IEA, Dr. Fatih Birol.