Why LPG Must Lead The Way In Sub-Saharan Africa According To The IEA

Why LPG Must Lead The Way In Sub-Saharan Africa According To The IEA

Despite decades of progress in global development, nearly 2.3 billion people, about one-third of the world’s population still cook with firewood, charcoal, and other polluting fuels, putting their health, environment, and livelihoods at severe risk. This situation persists in 128 countries, especially across sub-Saharan Africa, where the transition to clean cooking has failed to match rapid population growth.

This blog explores the key findings of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All and how LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) remains one of the most realistic, scalable, and impactful solutions for the continent.

The Human Cost of Polluted Kitchens

Cooking over open fires or with traditional stoves claims 3.7 million lives every year. Women and children bear the brunt especially in Africa, where 60% of premature deaths due to indoor air pollution affect them. Inhaling toxic smoke leads to respiratory infections, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic health conditions.

Yet, beyond health, the impact cuts across gender inequality, education, and productivity:

1.Women and girls often spend up to 5 hours daily gathering fuel and cooking.

2.This limits time for school, work, or entrepreneurial ventures.

3.Exposure to unsafe areas during firewood collection increases vulnerability to violence and assault.

4.And households often prioritize other expenses over clean cooking solutions due to poverty or lack of decision-making power for women.

Clean Cooking: A Climate and Environmental Imperative

Basic cooking practices using wood and charcoal lead to deforestation the size of Ireland every year, particularly in East and Southern Africa. In regions where trees also serve as a food source, this has triggered food insecurity and soil degradation. Switching to clean fuels like LPG can dramatically reduce: Methane emissions; Black carbon from incomplete combustion and Greenhouse gases from biomass burning.

According to IEA data, a global switch to clean cooking could reduce emissions by 1.5 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent by 2030, comparable to the entire emissions from international aviation and shipping in a year.

LPG: The Most Practical Path Forward

While electric cooking and improved cookstoves offer promise, the IEA reports that LPG will account for nearly half of all households gaining clean cooking access by 2030. This is especially true in rural and low-income areas where:

Electricity access is unreliable or absent

Distribution infrastructure for LPG can scale faster than electricity grids

Households need affordable and immediately usable solutions

LPG’s portability, quick adoption, and compatibility with existing cooking habits make it ideal. Over the past decade, 70% of clean cooking access gains were achieved using LPG, a trend that must continue, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Africa’s Lag in Progress: What’s Holding Us Back?

While Asia (notably China, India, and Indonesia) halved their populations without clean cooking access by 2022 through subsidies, free stoves, and aggressive rollout, Africa has fallen behind:

1 billion Africans still rely on biomass cooking.

Only a third of African clean cooking plans are funded.

Less than 10% of people without access live in countries with adequate policies.

Without change, Africa will still have the same number of people without clean cooking in 2030 as it does today.

Investment and Infrastructure: The Real Need

Universal clean cooking access requires $8 billion per year in investment—less than 1% of what governments spent globally in 2022 to ease energy costs. But today, investment sits at only $2.5 billion, with Africa requiring $4 billion annually to catch up.

This funding would support:

1.LPG infrastructure: canister manufacturing, fuelling depots, and distribution networks

2.Consumer financing: loans, subsidies, and staggered payment options for stoves and fuel.

3.Education campaigns and after-sales services to ensure long-term adoption

The Opportunity for Jobs and Gender Equality

Transitioning to clean cooking doesn’t just prevent illness and save time. It can:

Create 1.5 million jobs in stove manufacturing, fuel supply, and awareness campaigns

Empower women economically by reducing unpaid labor and increasing time for education or work

Level the playing field for rural households, especially where wood fuel dominates informal economies

However, the charcoal and firewood sector which employs millions must be supported with reskilling and formalisation to avoid economic shocks.

What Must Be Done?

National leadership: Governments must prioritise clean cooking with realistic roadmaps and allocated budgets.

Financial inclusion: Upfront costs remain a barrier. Concessional finance and targeted subsidies can bridge the affordability gap.

Grassroots mobilisation: Women-led advocacy, stove-use training, and culturally aligned campaigns are essential.

Policy harmonisation: Fuel and stove standards must be enforced and integrated into national energy strategies.

Private sector growth: With early donor support, Africa’s clean cooking market is now ready for equity, debt, and venture investment.

Conclusion: A Clean-Cooking Revolution Within Reach

Achieving universal access to clean cooking by 2030 is not a fantasy, it’s a realistic, low-cost, high-impact goal. LPG will remain a cornerstone of this effort, especially across sub-Saharan Africa. But it will take bold policy action, consistent funding, and deep community engagement to unlock its full potential.

The time to act is now for our health, for our forests, for our women, and for our future.

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