PRESSING issues impeding the clean cooking energy transition drive include innovation gaps as it requires proficient solutions that effectively meet diverse needs of energy users, the government has observed.

Dr Doto Biteko, the deputy premier and Energy minister, made this assertion in Dar es Salaam yesterday when officiating at the opening session for the 9th Africa Energy Marketplace, themed “delivering Tanzania’s clean cooking initiative and national energy access goals.”

He affirmed that households struggle to adopt clean cooking solutions due to limited availability owing to inadequately furnished supply chains, while there is a significant awareness deficit.

Many communities are unaware of explicit economic opportunities associated with clean cooking, he said, affirming that this hampers the development of viable alternatives.

He urged stronger partnerships with the private sector and development partners to achieve the clean energy transition goal, expressing the worry that many households especially in rural areas struggle to adopt energy solutions due to high costs.

As Tanzania works toward its goal of transitioning to clean energy technology by 2030, extensive reliance on firewood for cooking remains a significant concern, he stated, highlighting that currently, 84.8 percent of households in rural areas and 17.4 percent in urban areas depend on firewood as their primary cooking fuel.

The government was executing a number of initiatives to address challenges in the country’s transition to clean energy, he said, pointing at a 10-year national strategy for clean cooking energy (NSCCE 2024-2034) aimed at achieving 80 percent of public use of domestic clean cooking solutions by 2034.

The government had commenced with the distribution of 400,000 subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cooking cylinders to various groups to promote adoption of clean cooking energy, he explained.

“As we engage in dialogue to address these challenges, it is imperative that stakeholders come together to devise actionable solutions that will pave the way for a successful transition to clean cooking technologies,” he specified.

Upwards of 39 percent of rural households and 79 percent of urban households are connected to electricity, he stated.