$740 million from first Clean Cooking Summit already deployed to projects across Africa

Nearly $740 million of the $2.2 billion pledged at the first IEA’s Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa has already been disbursed to projects across almost 30 African countries, according to a new IEA report, with financing, policy reforms and infrastructure investment helping accelerate access to clean cooking across the continent.

The Clean Cooking in Africa 2026: Progress Report was released ahead of a high-level virtual meeting on 9 July bringing together Summit co-chairs and co-organisers, including President William Ruto of Kenya, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway, United States Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Lerato Dorothy Mataboge, and IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. Dr. Birol introduced the new report and highlighted that around one-third of commitments announced at the first Summit have already been delivered.

Around three-quarters of funds were channelled directly to in-country investments or projects, with Kenya the largest recipient (19%), followed by Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa (7% each). Around two-thirds of disbursements went toward the distribution and installation of end-use equipment such as cookstoves and cylinders, while 14% went technical assistance and market development, 13% to populate investment funds and companies, and 7% for infrastructure. Nearly half of disbursements went to LPG, with the remainder spread across improved biomass, electric cooking, biogas, and multi-fuel and cross-cutting support.

"The first Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa showed what can be achieved when governments, development partners and the private sector unite behind a common objective," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. "The IEA’s tracking of the issue – ensuring every dollar and every stove is accounted for – shows that commitments are translating into action. Financing is reaching projects, governments are delivering reforms and clean cooking access is accelerating across Africa.”

The report tracks access across a wide set of indicators beyond the commitments made at the Summit including rates, policies, investment and infrastructure development. It finds that 2025 is due to record the fastest progress on extending clean cooking access in sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly 12 million people gained access to clean cooking solutions in 2024, around three times the annual rate achieved in 2010, with early data indicating that 2025 shows a further increase. Sixteen countries recorded faster progress than in the previous year, although rapid population growth meant the overall number of people without access continued to increase.

Investment in Africa's clean cooking sector also continues to grow. Annual investment reached $770 million in 2024, up from $590 million in 2020, with around 70% coming from private capital and consumer spending. LPG accounted for more than 70% of those with access in Africa and continues to represent the vast majority of new connections in 2024. Electric cooking is the second most widely used option, serving around one quarter of African households and biomass cookstoves also remaining an important part of the African cookstove landscape.

The report also highlights how the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting disruption to the global supply of LPG – the primary cooking fuel for 3.4 billion people – has reinforced the importance of strengthening the resilience of clean cooking fuel supply chains. While physical supplies remained largely available across Africa, higher prices reduced affordability for many households and increased fiscal pressure on governments. In response, countries have introduced measures to improve supply security and diversify clean cooking technologies where appropriate and strengthen in-country LPG reserves.  As of 2026, the IEA estimates that at least 250 kilotonnes of new LPG storage capacity is currently under construction across sub-Saharan Africa, due to increased regional storage capacity of more than 30%.

Despite these headwinds, clean cooking policy frameworks have advanced considerably over the past two years, pointing to a stronger outlook for access across Africa. Since 2024, countries have implemented more than 120 new policies strengthening clean cooking frameworks, which, accompanied by a strong pipeline for infrastructure expansion, are set to sustain faster progress through the remainder of the decade.