Nairobi to host 2nd Africa Clean Cooking Summit in January 2027

President William Ruto co-hosted a high-level clean cooking event with Norway in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. During the event, Kenya announced a $600 million investment opportunity in clean cooking and confirmed that Nairobi would host the Second Africa Clean Cooking Summit in January 2027.

Ruto emphasized that clean cooking is essential energy infrastructure vital to public health, economic opportunity and Africa's green transition. He highlighted the $600 million investment opportunity, which targets schools, healthcare facilities, and correctional services, through Kenya's Institutional Clean Cooking Investment Pack. The country aims to transform demand for clean cooking into investable projects through local-currency financing, guarantees, and results-based funding.

The New York meeting brought together government leaders, development finance institutions, international organizations, and private-sector representatives to discuss financing and delivering clean cooking solutions across Africa. Ruto stressed that clean cooking should be viewed as part of Africa's energy infrastructure rather than a separate household or social program. He acknowledged that capital is often held back due to fragmented demand and excessive risk left with households and small enterprises.

Ruto stressed that a managed transition is necessary to consider the livelihoods tied to traditional cooking fuels like charcoal and firewood. He noted that millions of people depend on these fuels for their livelihoods, and a transition that ignores them will not last. He added that clean cooking investment could create jobs in fuel production, distribution, appliance manufacturing, installation and maintenance, retail, and consumer financing.

The meeting comes amid a significant clean cooking access gap in Africa, with around one billion people lacking access. The 2024 Africa Clean Cooking Summit in Paris generated $2.2 billion in commitments, of which $740 million has been deployed across 22 African countries. The 2027 Nairobi summit will focus on specific actions, policies, procurements, financing, investments, or project advancements to advance clean cooking access across the continent.