The government through the Ministry of Energy has called on citizens to abandon the use of unclean cooking energy and use clean cooking energy such as electricity and gas as a way to protect health, the environment and strengthen the household economy.
The call was made by the Representative of the Director of Clean Cooking Energy from the Ministry of Energy, Mr. Deo Alex at the Women and Entrepreneurs Conference on Economic Opportunities held in Mbeya.
Mr. Alex said that in 2022 the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, gave instructions for the preparation of a National Strategy for the Use of Clean Cooking Energy as the beginning of the journey towards the use of clean cooking energy.
He said that following the order, the Ministry of Energy prepared the strategy and officially launched it in 2024 where its implementation has officially begun.
He said that according to the strategy, the use of unhygienic energy has been found to be a major source of various impacts, including environmental damage and health problems for consumers, among the health impacts identified include cancer, pneumonia, miscarriage and premature birth.
He said the cost of treating a person with cancer is high compared to the cost of purchasing clean cooking energy such as a gas cylinder, so citizens are encouraged to invest in the use of safe energy for their health and the environment.
Mr. Alex said the strategy has opened up various opportunities for entrepreneurs, including becoming gas and other alternative energy agents.
He mentioned the types of clean energy proposed to include electricity, gas and alternative charcoal.
Various women who attended the Conference at different times thanked the Ministry of Energy for providing them with the Clean Cooking Energy education and called for it to continue to the village level.
The conference is organized by the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups in collaboration with the Mbeya Regional Commissioner’s Office, with the slogan “Enjoy Opportunities, Build Today and Your Tomorrow.”
