Clean Cooking project completes Inception Phase, heralded the Phase of Implementation

SNV's Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Clean Cooking Sector (SEECCS) project has just completed the Inception Phase and heralded the beginning of the implementation phase.

The Implementation Phase will focus on addressing issues related to standards, testing, policies and strategies, and the establishment of an active forum - National Alliance for Clean Cooking.

The planning workshop brought participants together from eight sectors to devise approaches to accelerate the implementation of the above-listed activities.

A study conducted during the Inception Phase of the SEECCS project - Reviewing of the Existing Policies and Strategies Related to Clean Cooking Sector – states that the “cookstoves sector has been plagued by disjointed operations, duplication of efforts and a complete lack of institutional coordination among government institutions”. During the validation workshop, participants delegated SNV to raise this issue to the Ministry of Energy.

According to Samson Tolessa, GIZ-EnDev Deputy Director, the cookstoves sector is affected by a lack of finance to develop the private sector, a less developed value chain and business network, and a lack of innovation.

In a country where 20 million households, having a cookstove/clean cooking project such as SEECCS, which deals with the enabling environment, promotes innovation and capitalisation of the sector needs support. He assured that GIZ EnDev will work with SNV in the facilitating implementation as well as pushing these challenges to a higher level.

Desta Abera, Director of Science and Technology Policy Research and Future Planning Directorate, Ministry of Science and Technology, in his opening address at the planning workshop proposed the establishment of a Science, Technology and Energy Council for mainstreaming the clean cooking agenda properly.

SEECCS anticipates that the cookstove sector will contribute to developing a robust system to bring about public-private partnership and ultimately benefit the majority of Ethiopia' s low income families, particularly women and children who are suffering from indoor air pollution, perennial drudgery, deforestation and lately, increasing climate change effects.

The project is implemented by  SNV  in partnership with Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MEFCC) with the financial support from RVO  (Dutch government).