Global eCooking Coalition Unveiled at Africa Climate Summit

• The Global eCooking Coalition (GeCCo) is a joint initiative of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Energising Development (EnDev).
• The launch of GeCCo is a significant milestone in the global efforts to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy.

Nairobi, Kenya, 6 September 2023 – A new coalition of partners aiming to accelerate the transition from traditional cooking methods to eCooking, which uses electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro, or mini-grids to power efficient appliances such as induction stoves, pressure cookers, rice cookers, and slow cookers was unveiled today at the Africa Climate Summit (ACS). The Global eCooking Coalition (GeCCo) aims to promote clean and efficient cooking solutions across the continent and beyond. GeCCo is a joint initiative of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Energising Development (EnDev).

The coalition will work with governments, donors, private sector, civil society, academia and media to raise awareness, mobilize resources, build capacity, foster innovation, facilitate partnerships and monitor progress on eCooking. GeCCo will also support the development of enabling policies, standards, regulations and incentives that can create a conducive environment for eCooking.

Joseph Nganga, CEO of the Africa Climate Summit and Vice President for Africa at GEAPP, said: “We are delighted to introduce the Global eCooking Coalition at the Africa Climate Summit, which is a historic opportunity to showcase Africa’s leadership and innovation in addressing the climate crisis. eCooking is one of the most promising solutions to reduce emissions, improve health, and create opportunities for millions of people who still rely on polluting and inefficient cooking methods. We invite all stakeholders to join us in this coalition and support our ambitious goal of enabling a mass transition to eCooking in at least 10 countries in the next seven years.”

GeCCo is comprised of a working group of experts coming together with the aim of reducing carbon outputs generated by traditional cooking methods. These cooking methods release an estimated gigaton of CO2 annually – as much as the global aviation industry – and account for around 2% of global CO2 emissions. According to the latest 2023 SDG7 Tracking Report, some 2.3 billion people globally still cook using traditional polluting fuels and technologies. The WHO estimates that premature deaths from indoor air pollution total nearly 3.2 million annually, including about 237,000 children under the age of five who are more prone to pneumonia because of their smoke exposure – making it one of the biggest killers.

Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, said: “We are excited to join the Global eCooking Coalition, which is a critical initiative to accelerate the transition to clean and efficient cooking solutions for millions of people who still lack access to modern energy services. eCooking can not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve health outcomes, but also empower women and girls by saving them time and money. SEforALL is committed to working with our coalition partners and other stakeholders to support the ambitions of GECCo initiative as a major opportunity that can deliver on the promise of sustainable energy for all.”

The unveiling of GeCCo is a significant milestone in the global efforts to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy. GECCo aligns with the ACS theme of “Driving green growth and climate finance solutions for Africa and the world”, as eCooking can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving health and well-being, creating jobs and opportunities, and enhancing resilience and adaptation.

Ed Brown, Research Director of MECS and Professor of Global Energy Challenges at Loughborough University, said: “MECS is proud to be part of the Global eCooking Coalition, which is a timely and strategic initiative to scale up access to electric cooking solutions across the world. MECS has been conducting research and innovation on eCooking for over a decade, and we have evidence that eCooking can offer multiple benefits for households, communities and the environment. We look forward to working with our coalition partners and other stakeholders to share our knowledge, insights and best practices on eCooking.”

Several conditions favour a transition to eCooking. Electricity access rates have been rising rapidly, with the share of the world’s population with electricity access rising from 83% to 91% between 2010 and 2021, translating into an increase in the number of people with access to electricity by 1.3 billion globally over this period. While there are still many with weak or low quality power supplies, the number without any access declined from 1.2 billion to 675 million in the same decade.

There is a pressing need for a shift to eCooking, which is a clean, efficient, and affordable way of preparing food using electricity. eCooking can offer multiple benefits for individuals, households, communities and the planet. Therefore, eCooking is not only a desirable option, but also a necessary one for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring a better future for all.

GeCCo invites partners to join the collective effort to advance the eCooking agenda and create positive impacts for people and the planet. To join GeCCo, please fill out the expression of interest form by visiting: https://mecs.org.uk/global-electric-cooking-coalition-gecco/