ARDA Partners With GLPGP To Tackle Africa’s Clean Cooking Crisis With $1b Funding

The African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) in partnership with the Global LPG Partnership (GLPGP) to invest over $1 billion funding to address the growing clean cooking crisis in Africa.

While speaking at the ongoing ARDA Week in Cape Town, South Africa, Executive Secretary of ARDA, Anibor Kragha, noted that Africa faces a serious public health crisis if clean cooking is not prioritised.

Kragha said funding for clean cooking would be finalised in May during a conference slated to be held in Paris.

While Nigeria’s projected population is expected to reach about 400 million by 2050 with that of other African countries rising exponentially, Kragha explained that the issue of clean cooking is germane to addressing the public health burden which would further worsen the continent’s economic crisis.

Kragha said, “The sustainable energy transition for Africa must be inclusive and equitable and a roadmap must be deployed that captures priorities, challenges and perspectives of Africa’s low-emitting countries. The roadmap must not prioritize near-term emissions reduction over support for economic development and energy transformation."1

ARDA had at the conference stated that a database of sustainable energy projects across the continent would be launched to enable the continent to create a roadmap for the downstream petroleum sector on the continent ahead of the United Nations Conference of Party to be held later this year.

According to ARDA President Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, there is a need for an actionable roadmap that would transition Africa’s current energy mix towards a more sustainable carbon footprint.

Abdul-Hamid said, “We are confident that all African and international stakeholders will effectively deliberate on key issues impacting our sector and implementing an achievable roadmap that moves Africa’s energy mix towards a more sustainable and lower carbon footprint over the coming decades."