First Lady Rachel Ruto has called for urgent and decisive action to close Africa’s staggering Sh560 billion (Usd4 billion) annual financing gap for clean cooking.
She said the move would be “the smartest investment we can make in humanity.”
Speaking at a high-level side event during the Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Addis Ababa, the First Lady highlighted the harsh reality that nearly one billion people across sub-Saharan Africa still depend on firewood and charcoal for cooking.
This reliance exposes families to toxic smoke that claims over 800,000 lives every year, including 200,000 children under the age of five.
“This is not just about stoves and fuels, it is about dignity, survival, and opportunity,” said Ruto. “Every day we wait, lives are lost and hopes deferred. By 2030, let Africa be celebrated as the continent that turned smoke-filled kitchens into engines of health, equity, and prosperity.”
The First Lady’s office has already trained more than 4,000 women as clean cooking ambassadors, with plans underway to scale this initiative across Kenya’s 47 counties through community health promoters.
“When women lead, transformation follows,” she added.
Echoing the call for urgent financing and inclusivity, Rachel Kyte, UK Special Envoy on Climate, stressed the need to empower women in the clean cooking movement.
“Between now and COP30, we must accelerate progress on clean cooking. We need to put more cash in the hands of women who will advocate for clean cooking. A billion women is a powerful market. Yet we still do not listen to their voices. When we do, product development leaps forward. The UK will continue to support clean cooking and Africa’s green growth,” Kyte said.
Former Ghanaian Second Lady Samira Bawumia also weighed in on the scale of investment required, noting that “we need about US$40 billion for sectors affected by clean cooking, including health and education. This is an investment in Africa’s future, not a cost.”
Representatives from Mozambique’s delegation highlighted recent policy advancements, announcing the approval of a biomass and LPG strategy aimed at expanding access to clean fuels.
The country has also proposed tax waivers for clean cooking
fuels, signaling strong government commitment to the agenda.
