The African Development Bank (AfDB) has pledged the sum of $2 billion to promote clean cooking, particularly among women and children in Africa.
AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina, said at an International Energy Agency conference on clean cooking in Africa on Tuesday in Paris, France, that the pledge amounts to 20% of the bank’s annual spending on energy.
Adesina said clean cooking transcends mere culinary activities. It encompasses human dignity, fairness, justice, and equity for women.
According to the AfDB’s president, ensuring access to clean cooking methods will preserve at least 200 million hectares of forests worldwide, including 110 million in Africa, by the year 2030.
On its part, the French government lauded the African Development Bank for its pivotal role and dedication to promoting clean cooking initiatives across Africa.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will commit €100 million ($108.6 million) over the next five years to advance clean cooking technologies in Africa.
He also said that additional funds would be mobilized through the Paris Pact for People and the Planet and the Finance in Common initiative to support this project.
In addition, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania told the gathering that successfully advancing the clean cooking agenda in Africa would contribute towards protecting the environment, climate, and health, and ensuring gender equality.
She made a strong call to the global community to ensure a bold replenishment of the next three-year cycle of the African Development Bank Group’s concessional window, the African Development Fund.
The summit resulted In $2.2 billion pledges from the public and private sectors.