Energy Round-table Places the Focus on Clean Cooking Access in Sierra Leone

 Energy Round-table Places the Focus on Clean Cooking Access in Sierra Leone

 

By: Musa A. Kamara

FREETOWN, Monday, 18 March 2024: Representatives from government, the donor community, private sector, industry, NGOs, civil society are among diverse stakeholders who came together for the Sixth Energy Round-table co-hosted by the Ministry of Energy and the World Bank.

Since 2018, the Ministry of Energy has hosted an annual Energy Sector Round-table to reflect on progress in the preceding year, confront challenges in the sector, and unveil priorities for the upcoming year and beyond.

Noteworthy for the 2024 Round-table is the inclusion of Clean Cooking as one of the issues discussed with a panel of high -level participants.

Often treated as an orphan subject and not included in energy discussions and lacking the attention it deserves, the focus on clean cooking underscored its central importance in economic development, for women and children, for climate and economic empowerment among others.

The panel on clean cooking included Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Washington, DC based Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA), Hon. Mimi Sobba-Stevens, Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Madam Isatu Jabbie Kabba, Presidential Adviser on Gender, Sire Diallo, CEO of the Africa Emergence Group and Ashsish Khanna, Practice Manager at the World Bank. Hon. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security moderated the stellar panel.

Speaker after speaker noted the importance of raising awareness about the dangerous effects of the lack of clean cooking solutions and the importance of finance to sensitive communities and support the development of cleaner technologies to drive down the cost, as well as an action plan to fully integrate it in national energy planning. The provision of cleaner solutions improve health by reducing the risk of household pollution and smoke-related disease, which affects mostly the health of women and children.

The World Health Organization estimates that close to four million people die prematurely from illnesses attributable to the household air pollution caused by the use of polluting fuels such as firewood, charcoal etc. 

Clean cooking, the panelists agreed “must be a political, economic, and environmental priority, supported by policies and backed by investments and multi-user partnerships.” Sierra Leone has placed the focus on clean cooking with the strong political will shown by President Bio.

As a follow-up to the Energy Round-table, the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF) is hosting a special symposium: “Towards a Gender Transformative, Just and Inclusive Energy Transition” at the Country Lodge on Wednesday, March 20 from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm.

The session will allow for a deep dive into the multidimensional nature of the gender-energy nexus. It aims to sensitize leaders of women’s organization about the opportunities and challenges for women in the emerging global energy transition, the evolving technology changes, and the policy imperatives for accelerating energy access for women as a key mechanism for building climate resilience and economic empowerment.

This event is co-sponsored by the Office of the Gender Adviser to the President, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Gender Affairs