Launch of Uganda’s National Clean Cooking Unit

Kampala, Uganda – Stakeholders in Uganda’s Renewable Energy Subsector unite to witness the launch of Clean Cooking Frameworks

Introduction

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Platform (NREP) hosted the Renewable Energy Conference & Expo, a pivotal annual event focused on promoting renewable energy solutions in Uganda. The event, themed “Transforming Energy Systems for Livelihoods and Conservation” brought together key stakeholders including government officials, NGOs, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and clean energy advocates.

Event Highlights

The event featured a diverse program including:

• Keynote speeches by the Top leadership of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, leadership from other National Ministries, Departments and Agencies Ambassadors from the European Union, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Denmark, Country Representatives from FCDO, MECS, GGGI, UNDP, UNIDO, UNICEF, FAO, UNEP, UNHCR, IOM.
• The Review of the performance of the Sustainable Energy Development Program. The conference sought to set the tone fordeliberations on targets set for the program in the NDP IV and energy transition dialogue at National and Regional level.
• Panel discussions on topics such as “Clean Cooking Transition,” “Nexus between Renewable Energy and Regenerative Agriculture,” “Gender and Energy Access,” “Productive Use of Energy,” “Partnerships for achievement of SDG 7.”
• Technology exhibitions showcasing “Government planned nuclear, energy efficiency, waste to energy, geothermal models,” “Clean Cooking Solutions in Uganda’s six clean cooking value chains, including LPG, ICS (Sustainable Charcoal and Firewood; Pellets and Briquettes), Electric Cooking, Bio-ethanol and Biogas.
• Experiences and Testimonies from users of clean cooking technologies.

“Clean cooking is not just a health issue—it’s a development, livelihood and climate issue,” said the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Dr. Cn. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu.

Key Outcomes

The event resulted in several important outcomes:

• Official launch of the National Clean Cooking Unit and National Clean Cooking Frameworks including the National Integrated Clean Cooking Strategy (NICCS); E-cooking strategy; Clean Cooking Stakeholder ATLAS.
• Commitments from Development Partners to scale up clean cooking programs.
• Launch of new initiatives, such as the Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (2025/26 – 2029/30); Uganda Biogas and Ecooking Program (UBEP) (2025-2028).
• Strengthened partnerships among stakeholders for future collaboration
• Policy recommendations shared with government representatives for integration into national energy and health strategies

Reflections and Way Forward

As emphasized during the closing remarks by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, the event underscored the urgency of scaling clean cooking access to meet global development goals and reduce household air pollution.

About the Clean Cooking Unit

The Clean Cooking Unit is a multi-disciplinary unit, created to ensure Uganda achieves a strong, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth with clean cooking as a major contributing factor, by 2040.

The pillars of the Clean Cooking Unit, which represent the sector’s theory of change include effective sector coordination; strengthened private sector participation; mobilizing finance and investment; data consolidation, knowledge management and information sharing; increased access through supply and demand side interventions and strengthened institutional and technical capacity to deliver clean cooking solutions.