Tanzania has made significant progress in promoting clean cooking, but sustained action is needed to ensure households continue using cleaner technologies after gaining access to them, retired Deputy Prime Minister and Bukombe MP Dr Doto Biteko has said.
Dr Biteko made the remarks during a discussion on “Tanzania’s Strategic Leadership in Accelerating Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Transitions” held at a Clean Cooking Energy Dialogue organised by the Mwanamke Initiative Foundation (MIF) in Kizimkazi, South Unguja.
He said the establishment of the National Clean Cooking Energy Strategy demonstrated the Government’s commitment to addressing a challenge that affects public health, the environment and household livelihoods.
The strategy, he said, was part of efforts championed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who has continued to push clean cooking as a national development priority and raise the issue on international platforms.
But Dr Biteko warned that the success of the clean cooking agenda should not be measured only by the number of households that gain access to cleaner technologies.
He called for regular assessments to determine whether beneficiaries were still using the technologies and to identify barriers that could force households back to traditional fuels.
“The responsibility of every Tanzanian is to ensure that the progress achieved becomes sustainable,” he said.
Dr Biteko said the urgency of the transition was underscored by the environmental and health costs associated with continued dependence on firewood and charcoal.
He said about 470,000 hectares of forests are lost annually in Tanzania, with demand for traditional cooking fuels contributing to pressure on forest resources.
He also cited estimates that more than 33,000 people die each year from diseases associated with household air pollution, highlighting the need to accelerate access to cleaner cooking solutions.
The burden, he said, extends beyond health and the environment to household productivity and economic opportunities.
Women and girls are particularly affected because they often spend significant amounts of time collecting firewood, time that could otherwise be devoted to education, income-generating activities and other productive pursuits.
Children can also be affected when they are required to help collect firewood, potentially reducing the time available for school and studies.
Dr Biteko said the next phase of Tanzania’s clean cooking drive should place greater emphasis on sustainability.
He said periodic evaluations would help the Government and stakeholders understand whether clean cooking interventions were producing lasting behavioural change and whether households faced affordability, availability or technology-related challenges.
Such assessments, he said, would provide evidence for improving policies and designing interventions that respond to the realities facing households.
The remarks come as Tanzania continues efforts to expand clean cooking access, with the Government seeking to reduce dependence on charcoal and firewood and encourage the adoption of cleaner alternatives.
Dr Biteko also commended MIF for supporting the agenda through initiatives aimed at improving access to clean cooking infrastructure and providing platforms for stakeholders to discuss ways of accelerating the transition.
He said stronger cooperation among the Government, private sector, civil society, development partners and communities would be essential if Tanzania is to turn its clean cooking ambitions into lasting improvements in household welfare and environmental protection.
