Scaling up clean cooking solutions to reduce the massive gap in access to clean cooking requires an annual investment of around $8 billion by 2030. However, currently only a fraction of these funds has been mobilised. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has highlighted this issue, sharing countries' experiences in increasing financial flows towards their clean cooking sectors.
Globally, 2.1 billion people still lack access to clean cooking solutions, with 900 million residing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women and children are at risk due to household air pollution, which is associated with various illnesses and premature deaths. IRENA's Deputy Director-General, Ms. Gauri Singh, stressed the importance of exploring a wide range of finance sources and opportunities.
IRENA has presented new primary data on clean cooking investments channelled by Global South governments between 2022 and 2024. The report encourages a more cohesive and coherent assessment of international clean cooking finance flows going forward. In Tanzania, IRENA has shown how clean cooking investment data is necessary to support decision making by governments and private investors.
The failure to mobilise sufficient funds for clean cooking solutions is a stark reflection of Nigeria's own struggles with energy access. With millions of Nigerians still relying on charcoal and firewood for cooking, the IRENA reports serve as a reminder of the need for pragmatic approaches to scaling up investment in clean cooking solutions. The emphasis on domestic spending and international finance is a welcome shift, but it is crucial that Nigeria learns from the experiences of other countries in increasing financial flows towards their clean cooking sectors.
