NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 23 – President William Ruto has co-hosted a high-level clean cooking event with Norway on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Kenya presented a $600 million investment opportunity in clean cooking and confirmed Nairobi as the venue for the Second Africa Clean Cooking Summit in January 2027.

📻 Breaking It Down

“Clean cooking is energy infrastructure, vital to public health, economic opportunity and Africa’s green transition.” President William Ruto said in a statement posted on his official X account following the event.

Ruto said the $600 million opportunity had been identified through Kenya’s Institutional Clean Cooking Investment Pack and covers schools, healthcare facilities and correctional services. He said the country was seeking to turn demand for clean cooking into investable projects through local-currency financing, guarantees and results-based funding.

The New York meeting was organised by Kenya and Norway together with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the African Union and the Clean Cooking Alliance, in partnership with UN-Energy. It brought together government leaders, development finance institutions, international organisations and private-sector representatives to discuss financing and delivery of clean cooking solutions across Africa.

📌 What You Need to Know

Ruto said clean cooking should be treated as part of Africa’s energy infrastructure, rather than as a separate household or social programme.

“Capital is held back because demand is fragmented and too much risk is left with households and small enterprises. Institutional aggregation, local currency financing, guarantees, and result-based funding can help correct that imbalance and turn need into investment demand.” he said.

He said Kenya was pursuing a pragmatic, multi-fuel approach that takes into account market conditions and consumer preferences, noting that countries would move at different speeds and use different technologies.

“There will be no single pathway. Different countries will move at different speeds and through different technologies, reflecting their resources, markets, infrastructure, and consumer needs.” Ruto said.

The President also raised the issue of livelihoods tied to traditional cooking fuels, particularly charcoal and firewood.

“Millions of people today depend on charcoal and firewood for their livelihoods. A transition that ignores them will not endure.” he said, adding that alternative livelihoods, retraining and a managed transition would have to be part of the process.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya