Achieving Universal Clean Cooking Fuel in Africa

By Okoko Chidozie Christian

chidochrisozonegold@yahooo.com; 09025179984

Every person needs food to sustain their lives. The vast majority of staple foods about 95% needs cooking before they can be eaten, and most people cook at least 2-3 times per day.

Clean cooking fuel, as fuel with very low level of polluting emission when burned requires technological education from design and construction to proper use and maintenance. These clean cooking fuels include: biogas, liquefied petroleum gas, electricity, ethanol, natural gas and solar power (BLEENS).

The extraction and use of wood for energy is prominent in developing country with more than 80% of households in Sub-Saharan African (Angola, Nigeria, Ghana etc.) depending on wood energy. Frequently, biomass such as firewood, charcoal, dungs and agricultural residue fuel is among the available energy source especially in the rural areas, and mainly burned on inefficient open fire and traditional stoves.

The combustion process guarantee smoke; and this smoke contains a complex mixture of numerous substances composed of various organic and inorganic compounds. These compounds are toxic and dangerous to the health system of human beings. This is because they contain carbon-monoxide, nitrogen, sulphur oxide, carbon-dioxide, aldehydes, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, chlorinated dioxins, free radicals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Access to modern energy remains a major problem in developing countries; however, poorer countries suffer more from energy access problems. More than 50% of death from pneumonia, cancer and chronic lung disease in Sub-Saharan Africa is due to combustion of solid fuels. Among women, there is a high association between fuelwood combustion, high risk of chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease especially asthma and cataract. Childhood respiratory infections such as pneumonia have been highly associated with fuel wood combustion (WHO, 2016).

Many countries in Africa lack access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking, and the transition to sustainable energy requires an assessment of drivers of the use of clean energy and dirty fuel for cooking. Though, access to clean fuel such as electricity promotes clean fuel use; it does not necessarily lead to a complete transition to the use of clean fuel, hence most households continue using traditional fuel in addition to the clean fuel. Despite massive efforts aimed at substituting and electrification, the number of people relying on biomass is slightly decreasing.

In 2018, about 2.8billion people use biomass fuels for cooking. And, it is estimated that by 2030, about 2.52billion people will still cook with biomass. Apart from the role of biomass for cooking, it is considered “dirty “and “backward” and seldom associated with “modern energy.” Yet, biomass has come to stay.

Recently, civil societies, academic institutions and international co-operations promoted the use of clean cooking fuel, thereby undertaken small initiatives to replace the traditional cooking fuel. But, to have a real impact on the welfare of the people, it is necessary to join effort and work together with the public sectors.

Nevertheless, this would be an extensive action in terms of health, and this is the time to expand ideas and propose a comprehensive approach to remove all the smokes from our homes knowing very well that healthy people are generally more productive, enabling some people to break the vicious cycle of poverty.

Africa Clean Cooking Energy Solution (ACCES) Initiative has earlier organized enlightenment campaigns in improving health condition, counteract climate change and decrease negative socio-economic impacts of traditional cooking stove by introducing clean cooking technologies and clean cooking fuels.

They reiterated that smoke produced by traditional stoves in household or rural areas has harmful effects on the health families posing a challenge of almost 1/3 of the African population. Hence, efforts are being made to remove any device that generates harmful pollutants to human health, namely candles and oil lamps to mention but a few.

Since 2015, Universal Access to Energy has been on every national agenda as well as international co-operation. “Energy for all” means providing access to electricity for more than 1/5 of the world population, but the more challenging is providing access to sustainable, affordable and clean cooking energy for more than 1/3 of the world population.

Access to modern cooking energy has so many tasks to international development co-operations. It will improve the situation related to education, health, rural development, good governance and sustainable economic development by instigating cooking energy awareness campaigns to school children and women.

We are aware that for generations, families in rural areas have developed practices that require no modern cooking fuel maintenance or cleaning. In this perspective, it is necessary to enhance intervention plans to incorporate activities that ensure sustainability for the clean cooking fuel users to take ownership of the new technologies.

According to the Cooking Energy Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Universal Access to Energy, there is a higher share of renewable energy and massive improvements in energy efficiency as part of the top global priorities for sustainable development in the years to come.