Kibaha. The ministry of Energy, in collaboration with the Tanzania Meat Board, has rolled out a special initiative aimed at encouraging meat roasters operating in livestock markets across the country to adopt clean cooking energy.
The move is intended to reduce the use of environmentally harmful fuels while safeguarding public health.
The programme seeks to transition meat roasting activities away from firewood and charcoal towards modern, cleaner technologies, as part of the government’s broader clean cooking energy agenda.
Speaking during a visit to a clean cooking energy stakeholder, Matima Investment, in Kibaha District, Coast Region, the director of Clean Cooking Energy at the ministry of Energy, Mr Nolasco Mlay, said the company is engaged in the manufacture of specialised gas-powered meat roasting stoves that are both environmentally friendly and safer for users.
During the visit, Mr Mlay held discussions with experts from the Tanzania Meat Board and the Coast Region Manager of CRDB Bank, focusing on strategies to ensure that all meat markets in the country gradually transition to the use of modern stoves powered by clean energy.
“The use of clean cooking energy not only protects the environment, but also improves health outcomes and enhances efficiency in the daily activities of meat roasters.
He said through the collaboration with the Tanzania Meat Board, the minitry will continue to encourage meat roasters in various markets to adopt clean energy, as the board is mandated to regulate and develop stakeholders within the meat sector.
He also called on development partners, particularly financial institutions and banks, to support meat roasters by offering affordable loans to enable them to meet the cost of acquiring modern cooking stoves.
Such support, he said, would help entrepreneurs abandon the use of firewood and charcoal in favour of clean and environmentally friendly technologies.
For her part, the CRDB Bank Coast Region Manager, Ms Rose Kazimoto, said the bank is ready to work with meat roasters and manufacturers of clean energy stoves to expand the production and use of clean cooking energy solutions.
She said CRDB Bank would explore appropriate mechanisms to enable meat roasters to access financing, noting that such efforts would contribute to environmental conservation and improved health among the operators.
Ms Kazimoto, however, urged meat roasters to register with the Tanzania Meat Board and operate within an organised framework to ease monitoring and improve their eligibility for credit facilities.
She added that, given the mobile nature of many meat roasters, forming stable groups that can operate for at least three years would enhance their chances of accessing loans.
She cited the Loliondo livestock market in Kibaha as an example of a well-organised market that already meets the criteria for financing from CRDB Bank.
Meanwhile, the Clean Cooking Energy Desk Officer at the Tanzania Meat Board, Ms Pendo Msaki, said the board has continued to promote the use of clean cooking energy in meat markets nationwide.
She said the board is at the final stages of preparing a directive to prohibit the use of firewood and charcoal in meat markets, a measure aimed at protecting the environment and improving the health of meat roasters.
Ms Msaki also urged all meat roasters to register with the Tanzania Meat Board to obtain certification and formal recognition.
She added that the board will soon begin distributing clean cooking energy stoves on a loan basis in the Loliondo–Kibaha corridor and at Pugu in Dar es Salaam, as part of the implementation of the initiative.
