Adesina, Samia to co-chair Africa summit on clean cooking

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group president, Akinwumi Adesina, is next month expected to co-chair the upcoming Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa which will take place in Paris next month.

Adesina would co-chair the meeting alongside President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway and International Energy Agency Executive, Director Fatih Birol.

The Gurdian news estimated that four in five Africans cooked their meals over open fires and traditional stoves, using wood, charcoal, animal dung and other polluting fuels.

The practice had devastating impacts on health, gender equality, and the environment, with 600,000 Africans, mainly women and children, dying annually from indoor pollution.

Adesina in his comment noted that access to clean cooking was not merely an energy issue, saying it was a fundamental human right, and a promise for a healthier, and more sustainable future.

He said AfDB was committed to tackling this challenge head-on.

“The African Development Bank has been involved in early preparations and has been a critical partner for the IEA on the issue of clean cooking.

“Its support will be an invaluable addition to this major Summit, which aims to deliver strong policy recommendations and additional financial commitments, while cementing clean cooking as a global priority for years to come,” he said.

Last year, the IEA and the African Development Bank co-authored a major report on clean cooking, A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All.

Alongside the African Union and Clean Cooking Alliance, they also launched the Africa Clean Cooking Consortium at the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai.

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