By Alfred Zacharia
Nearly 7 in 10 households in Tanzania continue to cook using
firewood or charcoal, while only 3 in 10 use cleaner fuels like LPG, a new
survey reveals.
The 2023 Household Energy Consumption Survey (HECS) released
by the National Bureau of Statistics in September 2025 which covered 14.5
million households on the mainland, shows that 66% of households use firewood,
44% rely on charcoal, and only 25% have adopted LPG.
According to the report, rural areas remain heavily
dependent on biomass, with 90% of households using firewood and only 8% using
LPG, while urban households show higher adoption of clean fuels, with 47% using
LPG but 36% still cooking with firewood.
“Household size significantly affects fuel choice,” the
survey reports, revealing that smaller urban households are more likely to use
LPG, with 59% of single-person homes and 49% of 2–4 member households relying
on the fuel.
In contrast, larger families continue to depend on firewood,
with 86% of households with 8–10 members and 94% of those with 11 or more
members using traditional biomass.
Tanzania has launched the National Clean Cooking Energy
Strategy (2024–2034) to increase adoption of cleaner fuels to 80% by 2034,
focusing on LPG, biogas, ethanol, electric cooking, and improved biomass
stoves. The strategy also addresses the health risks of indoor smoke, which
contributes to thousands of deaths annually, especially among women and
children.
At the COP30 meeting in Brazil, Tanzania highlighted clean
cooking as part of its climate agenda, calling for international financing and
technical support to expand access in rural areas. Small-scale ethanol
production was presented as a sustainable alternative to biomass, reducing
emissions, protecting forests, and creating local jobs.
Experts warn that without affordable fuels, improved rural
distribution, and public awareness, millions of Tanzanians will continue
depending on firewood and charcoal, threatening both health and the environment
while slowing the country’s progress toward clean energy.