The Miss Universe Tanzania platform has joined the government’s efforts to promote clean cooking, with contestants expected to use their public influence to encourage more Tanzanians to adopt safer and environmentally friendly cooking methods.
Deputy Minister for Energy Salome Makamba said the partnership could help broaden the reach of the national clean cooking campaign, particularly among communities that remain heavily dependent on traditional cooking fuels.
Ms Makamba made the remarks on August 23, 2026, in Dar es Salaam during the Miss Universe Tanzania event at Ledger Plaza Hotel, where 33 contestants competed for 20 places in the next stage of the competition.
She said the government welcomed the decision by Miss Universe Tanzania to incorporate clean cooking into its activities, describing the contestants as potential ambassadors who could help take the message to households across the country.
“Their participation provides an important opportunity to deliver accurate information about the benefits of clean cooking to different groups in society, particularly in rural areas,” she said.
The government’s clean cooking agenda aims to increase the share of Tanzanians using clean cooking energy to at least 80 per cent by 2034.
Ms Makamba said the country had made progress, with the proportion of people using clean cooking energy rising from about six per cent several years ago to 28.6 per cent currently.
However, the figures also point to the scale of the challenge, with more than two-thirds of Tanzanians still requiring a shift towards cleaner cooking options to meet the 2034 target.
The Deputy Minister said continued public education, investment and stronger partnerships between the government, private sector and other stakeholders would be necessary to accelerate the transition.
She also commended Miss Universe Tanzania National Director Millen Magese for linking the competition with the national clean cooking agenda and called on companies and other stakeholders to support the initiative.
Ms Magese said the competition had deliberately chosen clean cooking as one of its key messages for 2026 to help increase public awareness and encourage behavioural change.
She said Miss Universe Tanzania would continue working with the government and development partners to keep clean cooking on the agenda beyond this year’s competition.
The contestants used the event to share messages encouraging Tanzanians to consider cooking solutions that are safer, affordable and less harmful to the environment.
They also pledged to use their platforms to educate communities and encourage households to reduce reliance on polluting cooking fuels.
The partnership gives Miss Universe Tanzania a role beyond the traditional beauty contest, allowing the platform to engage with a national development priority that affects household welfare, the environment and the daily lives of millions of Tanzanians.
For the government, the involvement of high-profile public platforms such as beauty contests could help complement formal awareness campaigns and bring the clean cooking message closer to younger audiences and communities across the country.
