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| Hussein Sufian, Corporate Affairs Director at Said Salim Bakhresa (SSB) Group. Photo: Courtesy. |
By Adonis Byemelwa
AZAM's SSBL group of companies has launched a significant initiative to advance the clean cooking agenda, targeting 10,000 women food vendors across the country.
The campaign, aimed at supporting the fight against climate change, was unveiled by Hussein Sufian, Group Corporate Affairs Director for the Said Salim Bakhresa (SSB) Group of Companies, during a press conference.
In partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and a gas distributor associated with the group, the initiative seeks to provide ethanol stoves to food vendors nationwide.
The campaign aligns with government efforts to curb the adverse effects of climate change, beginning with the donation of 500 ethanol stoves in Dar es Salaam, with plans to extend the initiative to other regions.
Sufian emphasized the critical need for clean cooking solutions, noting that around 80 percent of households, or roughly 8 million, still depend on charcoal and firewood.
This widespread reliance has contributed to the depletion of over 25 percent of the nation’s forest cover.
Ethanol, he highlighted, is an affordable and readily available alternative fuel that can help reverse these trends.
This campaign comes on the heels of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s launch of a 10-year national clean cooking energy strategy in May, which aims to transition millions of households to cleaner energy sources.
With an estimated budget of $1.8 billion (4.0 trillion TZS), the strategy includes shifting public institutions such as prisons, military camps, schools, and hospitals to clean cooking methods.
At the launch, President Samia raised concerns over the dangers posed by traditional cooking methods, such as firewood and charcoal, and called for the integration of clean cooking solutions into the nation’s long-term Vision 2050.
She also underscored the importance of creating a dedicated fund to mobilize resources for clean energy access.
Victor Hakim, UNIDO's resident representative, urged the campaign's organizers to expand its reach to ensure that clean cooking technologies become accessible to a broader segment of the population.