Paris, France
Pledges of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, announcements of investments in energy and in cooktop factories… The commitments multiplied on Tuesday June 25, 2024 at a summit aimed at equipping African households with non-hazardous cooking systems.
A total of $2.2 billion was pledged at this meeting organized in Paris by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and co-chaired by the leaders of Tanzania, Norway and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
A third of the world’s population still relies on traditional cooking systems – open hearths or rudimentary stoves – which are harmful to health, development and the climate. In sub-Saharan Africa, where it is the 2nd leading cause of premature death, over a billion people are affected, primarily women and children.
Yet the funding needed to solve this problem is modest, according to the IEA, which has been monitoring the issue for 25 years: $4 billion a year would be needed to largely solve the problem in Africa by 2030, while only $2 billion is currently being invested worldwide, mostly outside the African continent.
On Tuesday June 25, 2024, some 800 participants from institutions, the UN, companies, etc., and representatives of 60 countries issued calls for action. Some, such as France, Denmark, Norway, the USA and the EU, announced increased efforts.
“Today’s announcements amount to $2.2 billion and come on top of known announcements,” said IEA Director Fatih Birol. “We will follow what happens to these pledges and this money, and share the results,” he said.
According to the IEA, just over half of these funds come from the private sector, around 30% from highly-concessional loans, mainly from public sources, and 15% from carbon credits.
“A turning point has been reached. It’s now or never!” insisted Fatih Birol, announcing further meetings at the next G20 summit, at the UN General Assembly in September, and at COP29.
Among private companies, TotalEnergies announced plans to invest over $400 million in the development and distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking in Africa and India.
LPG, electricity, granules made from agricultural waste, bioethanol made from sugar crops, etc., the proposals vary to replace current systems.
Humaniterre with AFP
