Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change has committed to up-scaling various alternative energy technologies in line with conservation of the environment for sustainable development.
The ministry’s chief adviser on natural resources and climate change, Stella Gama, made the commitment during the launch of the Dziwani Innovation Hub and Centre of Excellence for Cleaner Cooking in Lilongwe which aims to support the up-scaling of clean cooking technologies.
She said such innovation hubs are key to the ministry’s goal of reducing deforestation and forest degradation in the country to support sustainable livelihoods.
Gama said: “Through these initiatives and efforts on clean cooking technologies, we are proud that Malawi is becoming a centre of excellence for cleaner cooking to ensure energy access for all Malawians by 2030.
“I, therefore, would like to encourage all Malawians, to adopt these clean cooking technologies that reduce the amount of firewood or charcoal being used for cooking and heating so that we reduce pressure on trees and forests”.
Cleaner Cooking Coalition co-founder Conor Fox said they are geared to ensure that Malawi achieves cleaner cooking technologies by 2030 .
He said the scaling up of technologies takes time but Malawi was on the right track in Africa in implementing cleaner cooking technologies with over two million people reached as of 2020.
On March 9 this year, government launched the Malawi Clean Cooking Fund, established to increase the supply of cleaner cooking energies, and fuel-efficient cooking technologies, specifically to reduce demand for illegal and unsustainable charcoal.
The Dziwani Investment is one of the beneficiaries of the fund, which will contribute to creation of jobs for women and youths of Traditional Authority Chadza in Lilongwe and beyond.
Over 90 percent of Malawians use trees and other biomass for heating and cooking.
During the CoP26 in Glasgow last November, Malawi and Scotland signed up to the Cleaner Cooking Pledge where both countries committed to universal access to cleaner cooking for all by 2030.
Source: The Nation_Monday, March 21, 2022_by STeve Chilundu