Report finds that coalitions for change’ are needed to transition the energy sector

RVO, Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland has issued an end of project report this week which has identified that transitioning the cooking energy sector is a multi-faceted, complex process - joint effort, and ‘coalitions for change’ are crucial to accelerating this transition in developing countries. This report was collated by SNV Energy, Expert Rianne Teule.

Cooking with traditional ovens or on an open fire is responsible for more than 4 million deaths a year in developing countries. This is more than the number of deaths from malaria, TB and AIDS combined. Worldwide there are more than 3 billion people who do not have access to clean cooking appliances It has been recognized The importance of access to clean energy is recognised by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Over the last years, thanks to financing from the Dutch Government and through EnDev, RVO has supported the national alliances in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda in alignment with the Clean Cooking Alliance. This support aims to assist the alliances in the development of their institutional strategies and members' value proposition, update national action plans, implement key sector studies and activities and strengthen their position as a strong stakeholder representative in the sector.

This report describes the results of these activities, the progress that has been made, but also the weaknesses that still exist and need to be further addressed in order to fulfill their role in the sector playing field. The following is a snapshot of the key findings.

• Under the Clean Cooking Sector Support programme RVO projects in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda have been successful in convening key stakeholders contributing to better alignment and coordination in the sector.

• Multistakeholder initiatives, such as National Clean Cooking Alliances can play a valuable role in building a ‘coalition for change’ towards a national clean cooking transition.

• Governments have an important role to play in accelerating clean cooking to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

• The transition to clean cooking requires a holistic and multidisciplinary approach, in which stakeholders from across sectors must step beyond their own interests and come together for the greater good.

• A viable and legitimate national alliance can play a vital role in the facilitation of a ‘coalition for change’, accelerating the transformation of the cooking sector.

An overarching theme was that Clean cooking alliances need to work in partnership with the government, to ensure government ownership of interventions that are necessary to stimulate sector transition.

To download the full report please click here. To find out more about SNV’s activities in the Clean Cooking sector, please visit our energy sector webpages.