PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday presented the Dar es Salaam Declaration on expanding access to electricity in Africa during a sideline meeting of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to a statement released yesterday by the Directorate of Presidential Communications, after the submission, the declaration was approved by the African Union Assembly.
The Dar es Salaam Declaration, adopted during the Africa Energy Summit on January 27-28, aims to improve access to electricity and clean cooking across the continent.
The declaration outlines key strategies to reduce electricity costs, minimise reliance on firewood and increase clean energy production.
The main goal is to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, from the current total of about 600 million without access to electricity.
In her speech, President Dr Samia urged fellow African leaders to actively engage in discussions on climate change, defend Africa’s interests and ensure the continent adopts new techniques to utilise its resources effectively for climate mitigation.
She also commended African Heads of State and Government for their participation in the Africa Energy Summit, where Tanzania hosted the event. During the summit, all leaders expressed their commitment to connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
Kenya’s President, William Ruto who is the CAHOSCC Chairman, received the Dar es Salaam Declaration and confirmed that the meeting agreed to submit it to the African Union General Assembly for approval.
The declaration was approved without objection. President Samia also presented Tanzania’s clean cooking initiative to the AU Assembly.
She said that approximately 900 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, or 83 per cent of the continent’s population, lack access to ecofriendly cooking solutions.
“The Assembly recognised and commended President Samia as the champion of the clean cooking agenda in the continent,” the statement said.
President Samia discussed the negative impacts of using wood biomass for cooking, which harm the environment and the well-being of people, particularly women and girls, who spend countless hours gathering firewood.
She also cited the International Energy Agency’s estimate that Africa needs about 4.0 billion US dollars annually to provide clean cooking solutions to those without access by 2030.
Dr Samia said that Tanzania launched its National Clean Cooking Energy initiative in May last year, aiming to ensure clean cooking access for 80 per cent of the population by 2034, up from the current 10 per cent.
She also reminded the Assembly of Tanzania’s role at COP28 in Dubai, where regional and international stakeholders launched the African Women Clean Cooking Support Programme to increase access to clean cooking technologies for women and girls across Africa.
President Samia also announced that Tanzania has been appointed a member of the Bureau of the African Union Assembly for 2025. The Bureau will include Angola, which holds the AU Chairmanship for 2025, as well as Burundi, Ghana, Tanzania and Mauritania.
