UK chips in $3.4m for clean energy as Paris summit ends

Photo: File

Dr Selemani Jafo, the Union and Environment state minister in the President’s Office

 By Carlos Banda , The Guardian

TANZANIA’S clean cooking energy strategy is pegged at a total of $1.8bn for

implementation for ten years up to 2034,while Britain has expressed commitment to provide close to $3.4m.for the purpose during the clean cooking energy summit held in the French capital of Paris.

Dr Selemani Jafo, the Union and Environment state minister in the President’s Office, said at a briefing yesterday on the Paris summit at midweek that the goal of the summit was achieved by 100 percent.

 The clean cooking summit brought forth the key outcomes that various countries, development stakeholders and the private sector vowed to collect $2.2bn to finance clean cooking energy in Sub-Saharan African, he said, noting that the African Development Bank (AfDB) pledged to issue $2bn for clean cooking energy during the 10-year period.

To reduce the challenge of environmental destruction, the first step is to ensure that effects on the environment are reduced through implementation of various interventions such as the transition to clean cooking solutions, he stated.

“The second requirement is for the government to ensure there is an annual plan for every district to plant a total 1.5m trees with the primary goal of planting 276m0 trees in the 184 district councils,” he elaborated.

During the 2023/24 financial year a total of 266m have been planted, with 211m trees still growing, a rate of 76.5 percent, he further stated, underlining the need to maintain the campaign fir environmental conservation, while shifting to clean cooking solutions.

Judith Kapinga, the Energy deputy minister, said at the briefing that 2024 is the year of new changes by advocating clean cooking energy, in the wake of President Samia Suluhu Hassan emerging as a champion clean cooking energy. 

“It has been easily adopted as a goal to be achieved due to the president’s leadership capacity, readiness for action and diplomatic influence in the global community of leaders,” she stated.

She said that the president’s efforts had enabled modern houses being built to accommodate an ex-Ngorongoro section of the Maasai community in Msomera village, Handeni District in Tanga Region, where 1,291 houses accommodate them, with current plans to be connected with clean energy stoves.

“We have also placed an agent for Taifa Gas to ensure when their cylinders run out of gas, they are able to refill their cylinders within the vicinity.

“This is not only for the new residents but also for those living there earlier, as the goal is to ensure that upwards of 80 percent of Tanzanians use clean cooking energy by 2034,” she stated.

Zuhra Yunus, the director of presidential communications, said that at the summit, a number of countries, organisations and a total of 130 companies approved the declaration on the prioritisation of clean cooking energy.

The declaration showed their desire for a joint collaboration to ensure the availability of clean cooking energy, she said, highlighting that President Samia also met host President Emmanuel Macron on the summit sidelines exploring ways of improving Franco-Tanzanian cooperation.

The key areas of discussion were cooperating in the area of clean cooking energy, women empowerment, water supply, agricultural modernisation, bilateral trade and private investments, infrastructure development and regional peace efforts, she said