Clean Cooking: Sahara Group Calls for Investment in LPG Infrastructure Across Africa.
Speaking at the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, organized by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, Ijeoma Isichei, Head of Business Development (Gas) at Sahara Group, highlighted the lack of adequate infrastructure for cooking gas as a major challenge to increasing clean cooking across the continent. She noted, “I believe that opportunity lies in the greatest challenge,” advocating for more investment through industry-led expansion programs, support from developed economies, and well-established public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Cooking gas, or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is recognized as an efficient and clean-burning cooking fuel used by almost three billion people worldwide. However, Africa faces significant challenges in terms of storage infrastructure to support the growing demand for LPG, leading to a reliance on imports and shipping.
Isichei, who is also a senior management staff at WAGL Energy Limited (a joint venture between NNPC Limited and Sahara Energy), emphasized that PPPs and the alignment of LPG policies across the continent would enhance access, affordability, and environmental sustainability. She called for more advocacy platforms to bring together governments, the private sector, and international organizations to promote global clean cooking solutions. She cited the partnership between Sahara Group and Petroci, Côte d’Ivoire’s National Oil and Gas company, to construct 12,000 MT LPG storage facilities as a successful example of such collaboration.
Sahara Group, through its affiliations, facilitates access to LPG in Africa with a fleet of LPG vessels with a combined capacity of 120,000 cbm and aims to increase its LPG storage capacity to nearly 100,000 MT across the continent. Sahara Group’s LPG operations also extend to Asia, North America, and South America.
CITAC estimates that by 2035, the demand for LPG in Sub-Saharan Africa will nearly triple compared to current levels. According to the World Bank, regional economic blocs in Africa have set ambitious targets for LPG penetration and consumption to achieve near-exclusive LPG use for cooking by 2030.
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To meet the growing demand, Isichei stated, Africa will require sustainable investments in infrastructure to cover importation, bulk storage, transportation, filling facilities, LPG cylinders, distribution, and retailing. This development is vital not only for providing a clean cooking solution but also for advancing towards a healthier Africa, where currently, wood and charcoal are the primary cooking fuels for one billion people, according to IEA estimates.
Isichei concluded that multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential to improving awareness and adoption of LPG over biomass and kerosene, as well as aligning policies to streamline LPG production, storage, transportation, and distribution across Africa.
