Zanzibar. The government must complement efforts to expand access to clean cooking technologies with measures to change cultural practices, traditions and attitudes that continue to hinder the transition to cleaner sources of cooking energy, the minister for Energy Deogratius Ndejembi has said.
Mr Ndejembi said access to appropriate technologies alone would not be sufficient to achieve the country’s clean cooking targets unless communities were also encouraged to change long-standing practices and perceptions surrounding cooking energy.
He made the remarks on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at Kizimkazi in South Unguja, Zanzibar, during a Clean Cooking Energy Dialogue organised by the Mwanamke Initiatives Foundation (MIF).
The forum brought together government officials, private sector representatives, development partners, financial institutions, technology providers, researchers and civil society organisations to discuss ways of accelerating access to affordable and sustainable clean cooking energy for households and institutions.
“Despite having a clean cooking energy strategy, if we do not invest in changing our traditions and practices, we will find ourselves back where we started. As we promote the use of technology, we must also invest in changing Tanzanians’ attitudes towards the use of clean cooking energy,” Mr Ndejembi said.
He said the transition required concerted efforts by the Government, institutions and communities to remove perceptions and practices that could undermine the adoption of clean cooking solutions.
Mr Ndejembi also urged officials in the ministry of Energy, its institutions and the private sector to prioritise the use of a mix of clean cooking technologies suited to the resources available in different areas.
He cited biogas as an example, saying areas with abundant livestock manure could use the resource to produce biogas and increase the adoption of clean cooking energy.
The Minister said a diversified approach would help ensure that clean cooking solutions were aligned with local conditions and available resources, rather than relying on a single technology across all areas.
He further commended President Samia Suluhu Hassan for her investment in clean cooking energy, saying the initiative had demonstrated that the issue went beyond household energy use.
According to Mr Ndejembi, Tanzania’s clean cooking agenda touches on public health, environmental protection, economic development, gender equality, education and sustainable development.
He said continued investment and collaboration among stakeholders would therefore be essential to ensuring that clean cooking energy became more accessible and affordable to households and institutions.
The Government has set ambitious targets for increasing the use of clean cooking energy, with the transition requiring investment not only in infrastructure and technology but also in public awareness and behavioural change.
