Tabora-based Kuja na Shoka Tools Manufacturing has supplied and installed briquette production machines in 61 prisons and 22 National Service (JKT) camps, in a major push to expand access to clean cooking energy and reduce reliance on firewood and charcoal.
The initiative is being implemented under the Tanzania Clean Cooking Programme (TCCP), with support from the African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF).
Speaking on the programme’s implementation, Kuja na Shoka Tools Manufacturing Director Leonard Gabriel Shoka said the support had enabled the company to supply the machines and train beneficiaries on their operation and briquette production.
He said the technology allows institutions to produce briquettes from locally available raw materials, reducing their dependence on conventional cooking fuels.
“This project has enabled us to install machines in 22 JKT camps and 61 prisons, as well as provide production training so that beneficiaries can become self-reliant and completely stop using firewood and charcoal,” Mr Shoka said.
However, he identified access to financing as one of the major challenges facing businesses investing in clean cooking technologies.
Mr Shoka said the company had contracts worth more than TZS 1 billion, but some financial institutions were reluctant to accept the contracts as collateral to finance project implementation.
He called for Government intervention to address financing barriers and enable financial institutions to play a greater role in supporting clean cooking businesses.
“Without support from banks, we cannot go far. We are seeing a major impact in communities, but access to bank financing remains a challenge. We ask the Government to look into this issue so that clean cooking projects can achieve their intended goals,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tanzania Clean Cooking Programme Programme Manager Frederick Tunutu said the initiative had strengthened the capacity of local companies to produce and distribute clean cooking technologies, particularly in underserved rural communities.
He said the programme, which began in 2022, was designed to provide grants to businesses to expand clean cooking solutions beyond major urban centres.
“Many companies were concentrated in urban areas, but through the grants, we tried to ensure that they also reach rural communities,” Mr Tunutu said.
The programme initially targeted 15 companies, with 13 having successfully received grants so far.
It also aimed to reach 60,000 people, but has surpassed the target, reaching more than 180,000 people, including beneficiaries in schools, colleges and other institutions.
Mr Tunutu said about 900 improved cookstoves had also been distributed to various schools, while the programme had received US$4.9 million in funding.
Under the grant scheme, smaller companies received funding starting at US$50,000, while larger businesses could receive up to US$200,000, depending on the scale and requirements of their projects.
He said the results demonstrate the growing role of private companies in expanding Tanzania’s clean cooking sector.
Director of Clean Cooking Energy in the Ministry of Energy, Nolasco Mlay, said the Government was implementing several measures to increase the adoption of clean cooking technologies, including subsidies aimed at making the products more affordable.
Through the Rural Energy Agency (REA), the Government continues to subsidise clean cooking products, with more than 200,000 improved cookstoves being distributed nationwide at subsidies of up to approximately 85 percent.
The Government is also implementing a programme to distribute more than 400,000 gas cookstoves fitted with six-kilogramme cylinders at subsidised prices, as part of efforts to increase the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Electricity is another key component of the clean cooking strategy. TANESCO is implementing an on-billing system that allows consumers to acquire electric cooking appliances and pay for them through their electricity bills.
The Ministry has stressed that clean cooking encompasses a range of technologies, including LPG, electricity, biogas, briquettes and other safe and efficient cooking solutions.
Some private companies have also introduced Pay-As-You-Go models, allowing consumers to acquire cooking equipment and pay in instalments, reducing the burden of upfront costs.
Mr Tunutu said continued cooperation between the Government, development partners, civil society organisations, private companies, financial institutions and communities would be critical to achieving Tanzania’s clean cooking objectives.
He said the next priority was to accelerate the distribution of clean cooking technologies in rural areas, where dependence on firewood and charcoal remains high because of affordability and accessibility challenges.
The initiatives form part of broader efforts to expand access to affordable clean cooking energy, reduce pressure on forests and improve health and livelihoods, while creating opportunities for private-sector investment in Tanzania’s emerging clean cooking industry.