Syrine El Abed
About this episode
Today, four in five families in African countries cook with fuels such as wood and charcoal over open fires or basic stoves. This leads to more than 800,000 premature deaths each year. But new IEA analysis shows that momentum is building to address this critical issue – opening a pathway to reach universal access to clean cooking in Africa by 2040.
In this episode, we hear from Syrine El Abed, IEA Africa Programme Manager, and Dan Wetzel, Head of the IEA’s Tracking Sustainable Transitions Unit. They explain what the lack of clean cooking supplies means in practice, what the latest data reveals, what more can be done to close the access gap, and why the energy sector is key to solving this challenge.
Speakers
More episodes
-
How the energy world entered this crisis
What did the global energy landscape look like just before the outbreak of the war in the Middle East sent shockwaves through energy markets in March? What were the major trends – and what might they tell us about what comes next? In this episode, IEA energy analyst Alex Martinos discusses the findings from the Global Energy Review 2026, which provides a comprehensive assessment of global energy trends in 2025. He highlights important developments across fuels, technologies, the electricity sector and emissions, along with the potential implications for the current energy context.Read more -
The cooking fuel crisis
Around the world, billions of people use liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, to cook their meals. Today, many of them are under substantial pressure, with global LPG supplies severely disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East. In 2025, 30% of all LPG exported by sea transited through the Strait of Hormuz – a route that’s seen shipping slow dramatically since the end of February. In this episode, IEA energy analysts Marina Petrelli and Arthur Rogé discuss the latest developments in LPG markets – and what price increases and supply shortages have meant for some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. They also speak about the impact of the market turbulence on expanding clean cooking access, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.Read more -
How the energy crisis is reshaping investment
As the energy crisis caused by disruptions to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz continues to unfold, how is it shifting energy investment priorities around the world? In this episode, two IEA experts – Energy Investment Unit head Cecilia Tam and energy investment analyst Kirsten Smith – dig into this question based on new insights from the World Energy Investment 2026 report. With energy security concerns front and centre – and with many countries increasingly looking to meet demand with domestic energy sources – they discuss the implications across different sectors, including oil, gas, coal, nuclear, renewables and electricity. They also speak about how investment in energy efficiency is evolving and how the crisis could affect the cost of capital for energy projects.Read more