Bagamoyo festival highlights clean energy push as Oryx distributes 600 gas tanks
Bagamoyo Constituency Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy and Minerals, Ms Subira Mgalu, speaks on Friday, July 24, 2026, during the Bagamoyo Fish Festival. The event was leveraged to champion clean energy adoption, and provide safety training on LPG usage, during which she commended Oryx Gas for supporting government initiatives. PHOTO | COURTESY
Bagamoyo. Oryx Gas Tanzania has distributed 600 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders worth Sh48 million to local entrepreneurs in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region, boosting ongoing national efforts to accelerate the transition to clean cooking energy.
The distribution targeted various entrepreneurial groups, including female and male food vendors (baba and mama lishe), as well as fish traders at the Bagamoyo Fish Market.
The exercise took place on Friday, July 24, 2026, during the Bagamoyo Fish Festival, an event leveraged to champion clean energy adoption and provide practical safety training on LPG usage.
Speaking at the event, Bagamoyo Constituency Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy and Minerals, Ms Subira Mgalu, commended Oryx Gas for its proactive support of government initiatives.
She noted that the initiative will significantly mitigate the grave health risks linked to dirty cooking fuels such as firewood and charcoal.
“Oryx Gas has remained a key partner in driving the clean cooking agenda through concrete action. By distributing these cylinders today, they are directly supporting the government's vision,” said Ms Mgalu.
She stressed that before the clean cooking campaign, spearheaded by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Africa’s champion for clean cooking energy, widespread reliance on biomass fuels severely compromised public health.
“A significant number of Tanzanians have been losing their lives annually due to health complications caused by inhaling toxic fumes from firewood and charcoal,” said Ms Mgalu.
Oryx Energies Tanzania Managing Director, Mr Imani Mtafya, reiterated the firm's commitment to supporting the government’s target of ensuring 80 percent of Tanzanians use clean cooking energy by 2034, up from 29 percent recorded at the commencement of the clean cooking energy campaign.
Mr Mtafya revealed that between 2021 and 2026, the company distributed over 72,000 LPG cylinders valued at Sh5.7 billion across the country to drive adoption and phase out environmentally destructive fuels.
“To meet rising national demand and match government policy, the company is also expanding its supply chain footprint,” he said.
“We are currently investing Sh40 billion in the construction of a new gas storage depot. This infrastructure expansion will ensure seamless nationwide LPG distribution,” added Mr Mtafya.
Officiating the festival, Bagamoyo District Commissioner, Mr Shaibu Ndemanga, outlined the district’s strategic roadmap for energy transition.
He praised Oryx Gas’s contribution, noting that equipping fish fryers at the Bagamoyo market with gas cylinders marks a decisive step away from charcoal and firewood dependency.
“The government continues to collaborate with private sector stakeholders to make LPG appliances accessible and affordable, safeguarding both public health and Tanzania's forests,” he said.
