The Ministry of Energy says Malawi is moving towards adopting sustainable renewable energy technologies to promote clean cooking solutions that are accessible to all citizens.

Speaking in Lilongwe during a stakeholders’ consultative meeting organised by the Energy Technology Network (ENET), Deputy Director in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Mining and Energy, Saidi Banda, said most renewable energy technologies introduced for clean cooking in the country have not succeeded.

Banda revealed that over 70 percent of clean cooking technologies previously rolled out have failed due to challenges such as lack of repair services and unavailability of spare parts.

“Currently, we are working with local technical colleges to build capacity on how to repair these technologies we also assemble spare parts locally to ensure the sustainability of these clean cooking technologies,” he said.

He added that government is committed to strengthening local innovations and ensuring that the technologies promoted in communities are durable and well supported.

Meanwhile, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), Professor Ishmael Kosamu, said about 70 percent of the country’s energy needs lie within households and institutions. 

He noted that the technologies being developed under the ENET platform offer a viable avenue for addressing clean energy challenges, particularly in clean cooking.

Kosamu said the innovations showcased at the meeting have the potential to ease the energy crisis Malawi and other African countries are facing.

“Malawi relies heavily on firewood for cooking, and with deforestation increasing at an alarming rate, it is these technologies that will help reduce the challenges associated with the use of biomass,” he said.

Currently, only 24 percent of Malawi’s population uses clean energy for cooking. Government aims to increase this to 75 percent as it intensifies efforts to promote affordable, accessible and sustainable clean cooking solutions across the country.