Towards a Thriving Market in Tanzania: Publication of Briefing Note Series by TaTEDO and MECS

Date: 1st December 2022

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By Anna Clements, Link Researcher – Tanzania. Gamos, MECS.

Long-standing MECS partner TaTEDO, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and MECS have released a briefing note series capturing the main learnings from two years of research and implementation on eCooking in Tanzania. The 7-part series draws on experiences and learnings on topics ranging from awareness raising, to design and use-case insights from early eCooking adopters, to setting up after-sales services, dealing with the issue of quality appliances, to opportunities for the utility through eCooking. The project also gathered new cooking diaries data in rural Kilimanjaro region, and urban Dodoma, ran focus groups to understand cooking practices, and examined the cooking context from a gender lens.

The research revolved around Electric Pressure Cookers (EPCs), which have been found to be cheaper to cook Tanzanian dishes with, compared to LPG and charcoal, and are convenient and safe for cooks (see the Tanzanian eCookbook and Market Assessment). The 2-year project, ‘Promoting a Thriving Market of Modern Energy Cooking Services in Tanzania’, aimed to support the development of the market system for EPCs. It was undertaken in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, and Kilimanjaro regions, and consisted of numerous supporting activities designed to understand and strengthen the market system:

awareness raising via national media and on the ground demonstrations and exhibitions
implementation of after-sales support services by training technicians, ensuring a supply of spare parts, and setting up three support service centres in Tanzania
fostering the enabling environment of policy and regulation by advocating for the reduction of taxes on eCooking, and inclusion of eCooking as an affordable option in Tanzania’s clean cooking future
understanding consumer cooking practices and preferences and the potential to transition household cooking to eCooking in Dodoma and Kilimanjaro regions
increasing the availability of EPCs on the market through supporting sister-company SESCOM with marketing and training interventions
developing networks of EPC distributors to reach end users

Note 2 covers the stakeholders in the eCooking market chain, their motivations and drivers for participating and what holds them back from being more involved in promoting eCooking appliances. The actions taken to strengthen the market system and increase consumer confidence by setting up support centres, distribution agents, and after-sales repair services is described in Note 3. Insight gained from 2+ years of awareness raising experience is set out in Note 4, covering what works best for various stakeholders, from end users, to financiers, to policy makers and dealers and distributers. Note 5 draws together insight gained into why it’s important to control appliance quality, so consumers can buy with confidence and use quality products (more latest thinking on required standards for eCooking devices here). Utilities can stand to benefit from eCooking, and the opportunity for TANESCO for electricity demand stimulation and increased revenue is laid out in Note 6. Finally, Note 7 dives into the detailed design and use-case insights of early adopters of eCooking in Dar es Salaam, covering issues about pot size, cooking with two pots, and the up and coming air fryer which can healthily substitute deep-frying and BBQ-ing habits.

We hope these briefing notes provide insight into what has worked in Tanzania, where TaTEDO have taken a systems approach to identifying and addressing the barriers to uptake and sustained use of eCooking and provide inspiration for those seeking to support the same transformation in other countries.

Access the briefing notes here:

Other publications associated with the project can be found here:

For all MECS publications related to Tanzania, see here.

Image credit: TaTEDO