IEA and South Africa Outline New G20-Backed Action Plan to Accelerate Clean Cooking Access Across Africa

Global energy access took centre stage this week as delegates convened in Gauteng, South Africa, for the G20 Social Summit and G20 Leaders’ Summit, with a renewed push to close Africa’s clean cooking gap. The meetings follow a major milestone reached in October, when G20 Energy Ministers, under South Africa’s Presidency, endorsed the Clean Cooking Roadmap and the Voluntary Infrastructure Investment Action Plan.

The newly launched plan is based on the Clean Cooking Infrastructure Investment Action Plan, jointly developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA), South Africa’s Department of Electricity and Energy (DEE), and the Energy and Water Sector Education Training Authority, with contributions from African governments, industry, and global organisations.

Leveraging the IEA’s long-standing leadership in clean cooking policy and analysis, the plan sets out practical steps to mobilise finance, strengthen national clean cooking policies, and build local technical capacity. These efforts aim to expand access for nearly one billion people in sub-Saharan Africa who still lack modern cooking solutions.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol described clean cooking as “one of the defining energy challenges of our time,” noting that modern, affordable fuels are essential for improving health outcomes, empowering women, and supporting economic development. He reaffirmed the IEA’s commitment to helping South Africa drive implementation under its G20 Presidency.

The initiative aligns closely with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Ahead of the G20 Ministerial in Durban, South Africa unveiled its Clean Cooking Legacy Programme, targeting expanded access across households, schools, and communities. South Africa’s Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, highlighted progress including new LPG installations in five schools in Mpumalanga province.

Calling clean cooking a “human rights issue,” the Minister said the G20’s agreement titled “Closing the Clean Cooking Gap” represents a defining legacy of South Africa’s G20 Energy Transitions Working Group. He noted that the action plan reflects insights from industry experts, global institutions, and partner countries, elevating clean cooking to a core issue for the world’s major economies.

South Africa aims to push clean cooking as a broader pan-African priority through the African Union, supported by coordinated investment and policy action.

The IEA and South Africa’s G20 Presidency reaffirmed their commitment to tracking progress on the action plan and maintaining clean cooking as a global priority. This builds on the IEA’s ongoing work to monitor policy advances and investment flows, including follow-up on the $2.2 billion pledged at the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa held in Paris in May 2024.

The IEA said it will continue collaborating with African and international partners to support implementation of the G20-backed plan in the coming months.