Tanzania Enlists 2,682 Institutions in Clean Cooking Drive

What changed

Tanzania says 2,682 institutions have adopted clean cooking energy under a national strategy targeting 30,000 institutions by 2034. The government also aims for 80 percent of Tanzanians to use clean cooking energy by that year.

The strategy, launched on 8 May 2024, covers electricity, LPG, natural gas, biogas, bioethanol, alternative charcoal, solar energy and hydrogen. Officials say they are distributing subsidised stoves and gas cylinders, expanding natural-gas infrastructure and encouraging electric cooking appliances.

Why it matters

This is a household policy with an institutional measurement attached to it. The government is trying to move cooking away from firewood and charcoal, which officials say expose people to smoke and contribute to forest degradation.

The promised benefits are practical: less time spent collecting firewood, more pressure taken off forests, and more time for women and children to spend on productive work and education.

The difficult question is what “adopted” means in practice. The count gives Tanzania a starting point, but the report does not explain how institutions were measured or how the 30,000 target will be financed and delivered. If the programme can turn subsidised equipment and improved fuel access into regular household use, the 2034 target will mean more than a tally of institutions.