Join us at Ministerial-level Thematic Forums Side Event on Leveraging modern energy access for all

The Government of Kenya alongside several international organisations is pleased to invite you to the Ministerial-level Thematic Forums side event: Leveraging modern energy access for all: infrastructure, climate and cooking.

Date & time: 23 June 2021, 11.30-12.45 EST | 16:30-17:45 BST

With nine years left to deliver on SDG7, bold and ambitious action is required to leverage the gains made on electrification, infrastructure, and energy access, and achieve a net-zero future for cooking.

Electricity has become relatively more affordable and available in many parts of the world, including in Africa and Asia. Grid networks are being built with increasing focus on renewable generation. Most countries are seeking to modernise their grid structures to align their country strategies to accelerate sustainable economic transformation and move towards net-zero carbon.

Despite these positive changes, clean cooking is still being left out of energy planning and globally more than 4 billion people lack access to modern energy cooking solutions. This disconnect between electricity and cooking has been because grid infrastructures were considered unreliable and not cost-effective for cooking.

As progress has been made, some countries such as Kenya and Uganda now have near surplus electricity generating capacity and are upgrading their infrastructure. This means that they have become more reliable and affordable, and with charcoal prices increasing due to deforestation, electricity used in energy efficient appliances is increasingly affordable. Providing underserved communities with access to electric cooking solutions can bridge the gap between demand and supply.

Joint action on clean cooking and climate is crucial to achieve sustainable development, gender equality and tackling the climate emergency. Regulation, innovative financing and new technologies are much required to leave no one behind, while providing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy cooking solutions for all.

This event will offer insights on:
• What is required to enhance collective clean cooking action and bring together experts from utility, national planning commissions and financiers?
• How to leverage the gains made on electrification to accelerate action on clean cooking whilst meeting the ambitions for a net-zero carbon future by 2050?
• How to capitalize on climate financing to make clean cooking solutions more affordable and accessible for all?

Hosted by the Government of Kenya, in collaboration with MECS, the Africa Europe Foundation (AEF), Clean Cooking Alliance, ENERGIA, and the Energy Nexus Network (TENN).