Alliance formed to address clean cooking

The Netherland development organization (SNV), more than 15 NGO’s, and over 600 private enterprises along with government agencies overseeing health, women and children joined hands to get more people to use clean stoves. As part of the governments attempted to become a carbon neutral country effort are underway to disseminate millions of energy stoves and replace the use of charcoal and other traditional fuels used by 85 percent of Ethiopia’s population.
The project is supported by the Netherland government as part of realizing sustainable development goals (SDG’s). Ten out of 17 of these goals are indirectly connected with clean cooking.
One of the goals of the project is to improve cooking stoves, biogas and bio-fuel.
It also will work to develop public-private partnerships and make it easier for poor families to benefit from cleaner fuel. Some of these benefits include better health by reducing pollution, more forests and reducing the effects of climate change.
“The climate resilient green economy and the improved cook stove investment plan that are aligned with this project and emphasize the cross cutting nature of the clean cooking issue mainly in relation to health, gender and education which assures the importance of coordination among different subsectors for better impact, increased communication and knowledge sharing”, said Worku Behonegne, Country Director, SNV Ethiopia.
The director also said strengthening stakeholder engagement is an important, challenging and possible task.
The clean cooking sector involves various players from the government and non-government portfolio including private actors.
“In addition, clean cooking isn’t only technology promotion but also setting standards, ensuring quality, developing the private sector, building the capacity of stakeholders, and providing after sales service” Worku adds.
According to some figures, 40 percent of Ethiopians walk for more than 2 hours to fetch fire wood and 85 percent still use solid bio gas. While 65 percent are dying as result of indoor air pollution.
Global studies show that malaria, tuberculoses, HIV combined cause fewer deaths than household pollution (mostly smoke) does.
“Private sector involvement with government is critical for the endeavor in addressing clean cooking and it’s important for the Dutch government to engage in PPP for financial support.”
Executed in five countries to support the national alliance, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) of the Dutch Government has developed the project as an effort to support the realization of SDG’s.
“Clean cooking is not something wishful, but it’s also achievable said the secretary of the alliance bord.”