Dodoma — The Tanzanian government has called on stakeholders in the financial sector to develop services and financial products that will help expand access to clean cooking energy.
The initiative is aimed at supporting small-scale entrepreneurs in remote and rural areas, as well as innovators developing clean energy technologies.
The call was made by Deputy Minister of Energy, Salome Makamba, who represented the Minister of Energy, Deogratius Ndejembi, during the launch of a clean cooking energy project at Bunge Girls' Secondary School in Dodoma.
"Tanzania has made significant progress in the clean cooking energy agenda. The use of clean cooking energy has increased from 6.9 percent in 2021 to 23.2 percent in 2025. However, approximately 77 percent of households still rely on non-clean energy. I urge the private sector to continue collaborating with the government to ensure access to various forms of clean cooking energy reaches remote and rural communities," said Deputy Minister Salome.
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She also encouraged distributors of cooking gas cylinders to expand their distribution and refill points to make the energy more accessible to a wider number of users.
Additionally, she urged innovators and university students to conduct research and develop technologies that will further promote the adoption of clean cooking energy.
Regarding the project she launched, Deputy Minister Salome explained that it implements government directives targeting institutions that serve more than 100 people, to protect human health and preserve the environment. The project will enable food to be cooked in a clean, fast, efficient, and cost-effective manner, without the harmful smoke that affects cooks and students, while supporting environmental sustainability.
The Deputy Minister highlighted that the project is part of nationwide efforts led by President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan to ensure that by 2034, 80 percent of Tanzanians are using clean cooking energy. Currently, 23.2 percent of citizens are using clean cooking energy, and 1,136 institutions that serve more than 100 people per day have transitioned to this form of energy.
At Bunge Girls' Secondary School, Deputy Minister Salome also launched the Clean Cooking School Club, the first of its kind in Tanzania. The club aims to serve as a model for other schools in promoting clean cooking energy education. Students joining the club will become Clean Cooking Champions, collaborating with the Ministry of Energy and other stakeholders to provide education in schools and communities, as well as develop technologies that protect health and the environment.
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Earlier, the school's headmaster, Richard Msana, noted that the school, which has 555 students, has significantly reduced its cooking energy costs after switching from firewood to gas. He explained that between July 2020 and May 2022, the school spent approximately 10.5m/- every three months on firewood. After adopting alternative charcoal, costs dropped to 2.7m/-. Currently, through the gas project, the school uses one ton of gas every two months, costing an average of 1.3m/- per month, making it much more economical.
