THOUSANDS of women in Dar es Salaam Region are set to receive free gas cylinders as regional authorities launch a new initiative to distribute over 10,000 cylinders to help promote use of clean cooking energy.

According to Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila, beneficiaries, the majority of whom are food vendors, will start receiving gas cylinders next week. He made the statement during the launch of a workshop on clean cooking energy in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, where 1,000 gas cylinders provided by Lake Gas were distributed to women across all districts in the region.

Chalamila instructed government institutions in the region to donate 300 gas cylinders by the end of this month, as part of an initiative to reduce reliance on charcoal and firewood.

“I see many government institutions represented here today, I direct the Regional Administrative Secretary to send a letter to all institutions, requesting them to donate gas cylinders to the Regional Commissioner’s office. These will be distributed to women to protect their health by reducing dependence on charcoal and firewood,” he said.

He emphasized that the successful implementation of clean cooking energy initiatives relies heavily on the support of various government institutions.

“The goal of this strategy is to safeguard women’s health by minimizing their use of charcoal and firewood which have significant health risks.” 

Chalamila acknowledged the efforts of clean energy stakeholders who have contributed resources to support the initiative. He also announced a cooking festival using clean energy, scheduled for September 23, where the first 1,000 attendees will each receive 20,000/-.

“I encourage all food vendors and barbecue operators to attend the festival in large numbers. I will do my best to attract many customers to ensure it’s a successful business day for you,” he said.

He further instructed the Regional Administrative Secretary to approach university heads and other education institutions to donate between 100 and 200 gas cylinders to the Regional Commissioner’s office.

Additionally, Chalamila directed council directors to work in collaboration with district commissioners to form groups within their areas to promote use of clean cooking energy.