UP to 200,000 more gas cylinders are being added to enable the distribution of 400,000 six-kilogramme gas cylinders for use in rural areas and among peripheral urban users.

Dr Doto Biteko, the deputy premier and Energy minister, said at the signing of the donations and distribution contracts in the capital yesterday that the government is doing everything possible to lower the cost of cooking gas to make it affordable to people across the country.

While also inaugurating head offices for the Rural Energy Agency (REA), he said the government was working with various companies to facilitate implementation of the national strategy for clean cooking energy

Underlining that people are demanding quality public services, he described the positions and powers held by top government officials as without much value if people always receive substandard services.

The cylinders will be distributed by Manjis, Oryx, Lake Gas and Taifa Gas firms, while REA will provide subsidies of up to 50 percent to assist targeted sections of the people to access the cylinders, he said.

He recalled the gathering of instructions from President Samia Suluhu Hassan for the government to explore all opportunities to make clean cooking energy available everywhere in the coming months and years.

“There are times when people complain that the agenda is unachievable because gas prices are too high,” he said, noting that work is proceeding to reduce prices so that this energy becomes affordable everywhere.

“We have started with over 400,000 cylinders available at reduced prices, and other forms of affordable energy are also available,” he said, pointing at the cylinder distribution contracts as a catalyst to ensure that the goal of achieving 80 percent clean cooking energy usage by 2034 is met.

“It would be a great disappointment to sign these contracts today and then fail to deliver results in the future. Tanzanians expect to see quick results,” he emphasised, describing clean cooking energy as a life-saving agenda.

He instructed Energy permanent secretary Felchesmi Mramba to convert energy use in buildings of the ministry to solar, setting an example for other government institutions to reduce operational costs.

As the front-running institution in the clean energy drive, the ministry has to use clean energy in its offices, he said, demanding to see all ministry buildings equipped with solar facilities.

During the day offices will use solar power and minimise energy usage at night, thus setting an example for other public institutions, he said, while Home Affairs deputy minister Daniel Sillo described clean cooking energy solutions in the Prisons Department.

Prisons will eliminate reliance on firewood with a 98 percent reduction in its use, he said, even as improved stoves had reduced firewood consumption by 40 percent from 2016 to 2019.

Hassan Saidy, the REA director general, said that the six contracts elevated to 72.8bn/- have a component of construction and distribution of clean energy systems to the Prisons Service and the National Service (JKT).

The head offices building has taken 18 months to complete, taking up 9.8bn/-, a sharp cut from the 13bn/- set earlier thus saving 3.2bn/-, he added.