Tanzania: SADC Impressed By Tanzania’s Strategies On Clean Cooking Energy Agenda

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has expressed admiration for Tanzania’s strategies to accelerate the adoption of clean cooking energy, particularly measures to remove taxes and provide subsidies for equipment such as gas cylinders and improved cookstoves, alongside public awareness campaigns.

Speaking during the Ministers’ Dialogue on Sustainable Energy at the SADC Sustainable Energy Week, held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (February 23–27, 2026), Deputy Minister of Energy Hon. Salome Makamba said Tanzania aims to achieve 80 percent adoption of clean cooking energy by 2034, while the National Energy Master Plan targets 75 percent by 2030.

Makamba explained that the government has prioritized institutions serving more than 100 people — including prisons, military camps, schools, and large markets — by installing clean cooking energy systems, a move described as innovative and impactful.

She added that Tanzania has extended electricity access to all 12,318 villages on the mainland, increasing national electricity access to 85.5 percent.

According to her, the country’s power generation capacity has reached 4,437 megawatts and is projected to rise to 8,000 megawatts by 2030.

Meanwhile, SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi commended Tanzania for leading regional efforts to promote clean cooking energy, noting that the initiative is driving positive social, economic, and environmental change across the region.

The event was officially opened by Constantino Chiwenga, Vice President of Zimbabwe, who emphasized the importance of African countries leveraging renewable energy resources as a catalyst for economic development.