Paet boosts Tanzania’s clean cooking push

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s clean cooking energy aspirations received a vital boost when PanAfrican Energy Tanzania (Paet) jumped into the game.

The initiative by Paet could potentially play an important role in the realisation of the government’s Sh4.6 trillion National Strategy for Clean Cooking Energy.

The Strategy – to be implemented for the ten-year period from 2024 to 2034 – requires the government to undertake a raft of measures, including announcing a complete ban on the use of dirty cooking energy for institutions that feed over 100 people at any given time, in an effort to raise the number of Tanzanian households that use clean cooking energy from the current 10 percent to 80 percent in the year 2034.

And, in it was within the same line of thinking that Paet donated 500 cooking gas cylinders and cookers. The distribution plan includes 200 cylinders for Mara, and 100 each for Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Dodoma, the company said in a statement yesterday. They will be distributed to various groups and individuals across the country who are most vulnerable due to the use of unsafe fuels.

Paet, which has operated at Songo Songo Island for about two decades, provides safe, clean, reliable, and cost-efficient fuel for power generation, industrial applications, transportation, and secondary markets.

The company officially handed over the donation to a nominated Member of Parliament, Ms Janeth Masaburi in the presence of the deputy minister of State in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Khamis Hamza Chilo, who represented the Deputy Prime Minister and minister for Energy, Dr Dotto Biteko. Ms Masaburi thanked Paet for the donation.

“We have our motto which translates as “Ashes Aside” which is in line with President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s wish to assist Tanzanian women to have access to alternative and safer fuels…,” she said. By promoting clean cooking solutions, Paet aims to enhance health outcomes and environmental conditions in local communities.

Beyond supporting this clean cooking campaign, Paet has been actively investing in social initiatives on Songo Songo Island and Kilwa District.
The Paet CSR Manager, Mr Andrew Kashangaki, the company decided to support the clean cooking energy drive in the belief that in doing so, it was contributing to the well-being of Tanzanian communities.

“We consider it our duty to support the government and the ministry of Energy in this endeavour,” he said.