Matola Calls for More Finance in Clean Cooking

Malawi government has advocated for increased funding for clean cooking programs

Malawi’s Minister of Energy Sheikh Ibrahim Matola made the remarks during a virtual address to delegates at the 6th Global Energy Interconnection Conference undrway in Beijing, China.

In his speech, Sheikh Matola stated that there is a global shortage of or insufficient financing going towards clean cooking, despite the fact that access to clean and modern cooking plays a significant part in ensuring universal access to clean and modern energy by 2030.

He said while it is critical to continue  expanding connections, energy poverty will remain a challenge if the issue of clean and modern cooking is not addressed.

The minister explained that the initiatives mainly serve the purpose of providing electricity for lighting, powering appliances, and charging mobile phones, forget that, according to the Sustainable Energy for All, around 3 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean cooking solutions.

Sheikh Matola however highlighted that these statistics implies that many people rely on burning traditional biomass or polluting fuels, which have severe consequences including indoor air pollution that causes millions of deaths annually.

The minister said therefore it is high time that access to modern and clean cooking is made a priority globally and at country levels.

Concurring with Matola, Jeffrey D. Sachs, a Columbia University professor and president of the University Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, stated that if the world is to meet climate change targets they need to pump in more funds towards the initiatives.

The 2023 Global Energy Interconnection Conference has been organised by Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organisation (GEIDCO).

The Conference is held on the eighth anniversary of the Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) initiative,  aimed at build up consensus and pool synergy for accelerating world energy transition and sustainable development.

The conference will further facilitate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.