Why clean cooking energy is achievable in Tanzania

As the world moves toward sustainable development, the call for clean cooking energy is louder than ever and Tanzania cannot afford to be left behind.

For decades, millions of Tanzanians, in both rural and urban areas, have relied on firewood, charcoal and agricultural waste for cooking. These fuels come with significant costs: environmental degradation, respiratory illnesses and the daily burden placed on women and girls who must spend hours gathering firewood instead of attending school or engaging in economic activities.

The message that clean cooking energy is possible in Tanzania is not a vague aspiration but rather, it is a practical and urgent call to action.

The launch of the National Strategy for Clean Cooking Energy (2024–2034) under the sixth-phase administration of President Samia Suluhu Hassan marks a pivotal moment. But for this vision to be realised, targeted interventions must follow.

More than 85 percent of Tanzanians still use dirty fuels. This results in widespread deforestation and indoor air pollution, which cause thousands of preventable deaths each year, particularly among women and children. Clean energy solutions such as LPG, biogas, solar cookers, and improved cookstoves can reverse this trend.

But why is this transition still out of reach for so many?

First, cost remains a major barrier. Clean energy equipment, stoves, cylinders, biogas systems, can be expensive for low-income families. The government must step in with targeted subsidies, tax exemptions on clean energy technologies, and interest-free loan schemes for rural households.

Second, infrastructure gaps are limiting access. In many remote areas, there are no gas refilling stations, no solar energy networks, and no biogas support systems. The national campaign must be accompanied by serious investments in energy infrastructure, especially in off-grid rural regions. Public-private partnerships are critical here.

Third, public awareness is low. Many communities still doubt the safety or efficiency of clean cooking energy. This calls for nationwide education campaigns, using trusted voices, local leaders, women’s groups, health workers, to spread knowledge and bust myths.

The reality is that over 65 percent of Tanzanians live in rural areas, where the use of firewood and charcoal is highest and where the impacts of indoor pollution are most severe. That’s where the focus must lie.

Pilot projects in villages, training on clean stove construction, and the promotion of biogas from livestock waste can go a long way. Tailored microcredit through Village Community Banks (Vicoba) can also support households in adopting clean energy solutions.

The path to a clean cooking future is not blocked by lack of technology or ideas, it is blocked by inaction. Tanzania has the tools, the policies, and the need. What remains is the will.

A clean cooking future in Tanzania is not a dream—it is a policy choice.

It is a commitment to public health, environmental protection, gender equality, and economic justice.

Let us make it happen.

Abeid Poyo is a journalist with Mwananchi Communications Ltd., with a reporting focus on clean cooking energy. He can be reached at 0754 990 083.