{
  "id": 19659552,
  "title": "Africa needs $4bn yearly to expand clean cooking access by 2030 – Samira Bawumia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/africa-needs-4bn-yearly-to-expand-clean-cooking-access-by-2030-samira",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-12T13:45:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Joy Business",
    "slug": "joy-business",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/africa-needs-4bn-yearly-to-expand-clean-cooking-access-by-2030-samira-bawumia/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Second Lady Samira Bawumia has called for a $4 billion annual investment to accelerate Africa's transition to clean cooking by 2030. In her address at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, she warned that insufficient funding is worsening health risks, deforestation, and gender inequalities. Bawumia argued that Africa's reliance on firewood and other traditional cooking fuels is undermining public health, environmental sustainability, and economic empowerment for women and girls. She urged African governments, development partners, and private-sector investors to prioritize clean cooking in the continent's development and climate agenda. The International Energy Agency estimates that Africa needs $4 billion annually to accelerate the adoption of cleaner cooking technologies by 2030. Bawumia highlighted the disproportionate impact on women and girls, who spend up to 80 hours a week collecting firewood, preparing meals, and dealing with household smoke. She emphasized that expanding access to clean cooking technologies should be viewed as an environmental intervention, a means of advancing gender equality, and a way to reduce unpaid domestic work. Bawumia also cautioned about deforestation caused by the unsustainable harvesting of trees for firewood. She cited Ghana as an example, noting that most of the wood used for cooking is not sustainable. She praised Ghana's efforts to promote cleaner cooking, including the adoption of national standards for clean cookstoves, the development of a National Clean Cooking Strategy, and the distribution of three million improved cookstoves. Bawumia also mentioned initiatives like the Woodlots for Households program, which has reached about 1,000 households, and the collaboration between the Energy Commission and the Ghana Education Service to integrate energy technologies into the educational curriculum. However, she acknowledged the need for stronger institutional coordination and sustained collaboration across sectors to effectively implement clean cooking solutions.",
  "summary": "Former Second Lady Hajia Samira Bawumia has called for an annual investment of about US$4 billion to accelerate Africa’s transition to clean cooking, warning that inadequate funding is worsening health risks, deforestation and gender inequalities. She said the continent’s continued reliance on firewood and other traditional cooking fuels was undermining public health, environmental sustainability…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}