The government’s push for clean cooking energy is gaining momentum within the defence sector, with the Tanzania People’s Defence Force recording 92 percent use of clean cooking energy across military camps serving more than 100 people, while the National Service has achieved full adoption.
Presenting the Ministry of Defence and National Service’s 2026/2027 budget estimates in Parliament in Dodoma, Defence and National Service Minister Rhimo Nyansaho said the progress demonstrates the government’s commitment to sustainable energy use and environmental protection under the leadership of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Dr Nyansaho told lawmakers that institutions under the ministry have continued investing in cleaner and environmentally friendly technologies, with Mzinga Corporation and the Tanzania Automotive Technology Centre each reaching 98 percent adoption of clean cooking energy.
He said the ministry, in partnership with the Rural Energy Agency, is implementing a nationwide strategy to expand the use of clean cooking energy in all National Service camps.
The initiative includes the production of machines for manufacturing alternative charcoal, construction of biogas systems in selected camps and training programmes for youths on producing energy-efficient charcoal.
The minister said the ministry was also intensifying environmental conservation efforts by protecting natural forests located within military areas from encroachment and expanding tree-planting campaigns.
According to him, the ministry and its institutions planted 209,794 trees during the 2025/2026 financial year across military camps countrywide as part of wider environmental restoration efforts.
Dr Nyansaho further said the ministry had continued surveying and marking boundaries for military-owned forests and wetlands, helping curb environmental degradation and land conflicts caused by activities such as illegal logging, charcoal burning, mining, farming and livestock keeping.
