The Blooming Maasai

Introduction

Growing up, I always knew that smoke from cooking fires was dangerous. It stung my eyes, filled my lungs, and caused coughing fits. I heard tragic stories of suffocation and accidents with paraffin or charcoal stoves. What I didn’t know was that this same, familiar smoke contributes to climate change and is responsible for more deaths each year than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS combined.

The sheer scale of this crisis only became clear to me while working on my Master’s thesis on clean cooking in South Africa. According to the World Health Organization, household air pollution from traditional cooking fuels is a silent killer. Yet, despite the staggering death toll, clean cooking often receives less attention in climate conversations than solar panels, wind farms, or electric vehicles.

A Silent Health Emergency

The direct health risks are devastating: chronic respiratory diseases, eye damage, severe burns, and cardiovascular complications. Women and children bear the heaviest burden, as they typically spend the most time near the cooking fire.

To put the scale of this crisis into perspective, data from the Global Burden of Disease Study reveals that household air pollution was responsible for an estimated 3.8 million premature deaths globally in 2019. The infographic below (Forbes, 2022), which draws on this data, compares these deaths to other major global health threats. It shows that this silent killer claims more lives each year than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS combined

What this comparison makes painfully clear is that while we have global campaigns, dedicated funds, and international coalitions fighting diseases like HIV, TB, and malaria, clean cooking has never been elevated to the same level of urgency. And yet, the numbers tell us it should be. If we are truly committed to Africa’s energy transition and public health, clean cooking must be at the heart of the conversation. 

A Hidden Climate Driver

The effects of traditional cooking go far beyond health. Globally, inefficient cooking methods contribute 1.3–1.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year (IEA, 2023), making household cooking one of the largest overlooked sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where biomass, paraffin, and charcoal dominate household energy use, this is a hidden climate challenge. While Africa’s energy transition narrative often focuses on expanding renewable electricity and reducing fossil fuel dependency, we cannot ignore what is happening in the kitchens of millions of households.

Clean cooking is not a side issue. It is central to the continent’s just and inclusive energy transition.

The Case for Affordability and Transition 

But this crisis is not without solutions.

My own thesis research explored the costs and benefits of various cooking technologies in low-income households, with a key focus on advanced cookstoves that meet Tier 4 performance standards (the highest international benchmark for efficiency and low emissions) combined with biomass pellets. The findings were clear: this combination was not only safer and cleaner but also more economically feasible than common alternatives like paraffin, LPG, or even grid electricity in the long run.

This directly challenges the common perception that clean cooking is inherently too expensive for low-income households. It demonstrates that with the right technologies and supportive financing models, adopting clean cooking can actually save families money, dramatically improve their health, and reduce emissions all at once.

The conclusion is inescapable: clean cooking is, therefore, both a climate-smart and a pocket-friendly solution that must be at the heart of Africa’s energy transition

A Path Forward: What Can Be Done?

Meeting Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy for All) is impossible without solving the clean cooking crisis. To do this, clean cooking must be elevated from a side issue to a central priority within Africa’s energy transition agenda. This requires a dual strategy: deploying a diverse mix of technologies and building a powerful ecosystem of support.

1. A Diverse Technology Mix: No Single Solution
The right solution depends on local context, but proven options include:

Electric Cooking: A viable option where grid reliability and affordability allow, representing a perfect synergy between electrification and clean cooking goals.

Advanced Biomass Stoves: Using pellets or briquettes that burn efficiently, drastically reducing emissions and fuel needs compared to open fires.

Ethanol Stoves: Offering a clean-burning liquid fuel alternative, as seen in successful scaling programs in countries like Kenya.

Biogas Systems: Ideal for rural households with access to animal or agricultural waste, converting a problem into a clean energy source.

2. The Critical Enablers: Beyond the Hardware
Technology alone is not enough. Widespread adoption requires enabling policies that address the real barriers faced by households:

Financial Innovation: Targeted subsidies and micro-financing schemes are essential to overcome the high upfront cost that puts clean options out of reach for low-income families.

Awareness and Demand: Community-led programs are needed to build trust, demonstrate benefits, and create a market for clean fuels and technologies.

A Gender-Sensitive Lens: Ultimately, success depends on empowering women the primary users and managers of household energy. Designing programs with and for women ensures technologies are adopted and provides opportunities for them to lead this transition as entrepreneurs and community advocates.

Conclusion

Clean cooking is not a luxury. It is a public health necessity, a climate solution, and an economic opportunity. If we are serious about Africa’s energy transition, we must look beyond the power grid and into the kitchens of millions of households. 

The firewood and paraffin stoves of today do not belong in the Africa of tomorrow.

A cleaner, healthier, and fairer future begins with the way we cook.