DAR ES SALAAM, (Xinhua) — Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Tuesday directed authorities to form a national task force of experts that will make a roadmap for promoting the use of clean energy for cooking.
Hassan said the national task force, to be headed by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa and coordinated by the Ministry of Energy, will help end the use of charcoal and firewood for cooking which caused environmental destruction and health hazards.
Opening the first Clean Cooking Conference in Dar es Salaam, Hassan said the task force will be assigned to ensure that 80 percent of Tanzanians use clean energy for cooking in the next ten years.
The two-day conference aims to achieve a common understanding among stakeholders on the state of clean cooking in Tanzania and share lessons and experiences in tackling the challenge of biomass cooking.
“Forests are being wiped out at an alarming rate in Morogoro, Lindi and Ruvuma regions for making charcoal and firewood. This must stop,” said the president.
She said her administration will, in the 2022/2023 financial year, allocate a budget for the establishment of a fund aimed at supporting research, technology and innovation on clean energy cooking.
Hassan ordered the Ministry of Energy to ensure that institutions with more than 300 people, including schools, hospitals and prisons, shift from using charcoal for cooking to using clean energy, including liquefied natural gas.
Minister of Energy January Makamba said the conference will serve as a platform for a dialogue to facilitate the east African nation’s transition to increased use of clean energy.
“The government of Tanzania is committed to improving the lives of Tanzanians by reducing and ultimately removing the health, environmental and social impacts of biomass cooking,” said Makamba. – Xinhua
