The Aga Khan University’s East Africa Institute (EAI) has signed a partnership agreement with the Clean Cooking Alliance Kenya (CCAK). The agreement will see the two organisations undertake joint projects in research and development in the energy sector particularly within the context of clean cooking.
According to the World Health Organization, 4.3 million people die globally every year from illnesses attributed to household air pollution originating from open fires and inefficient cooking fuels. In Kenya, an average of 35,000 people die every year, even as 70% of the Kenyan population continue to use open fires or inefficient stoves as their primary source of cooking energy.
“As we develop affordable and clean energy, there is need for concerted input from policy makers in national and county governments, industry, academia, and even United Nations agencies, said EAI Director Dr Evans Kituyi. “There is a strong correlation between these efforts and ongoing global discussions relating to the Sustainable Development Goals in climate action, good health and poverty reduction.”
CCAK recently conducted a household energy sectoral study but gaps in data still remain. The partnership is expected to identify knowledge gaps and produce evidence-based research on clean cooking and its impact to advocate and promote sustainability within the private sector.
“CCAK’s vision is for universal clean cooking and we hope to achieve this vision by promoting a market-based approach to clean cooking by creating awareness, strengthen businesses and impact policymaking. This partnership with EAI will help us develop, disseminate and broker the knowledge we need in the clean cooking sector,” said Mr Jechonia Kitala, Founding Chair at CCAK.
AKU Vice Provost East Africa, Dr Alex Awiti, who witnessed the signing of the partnership said, “Energy is at the heart of conversations about climate change. Understanding one’s energy source for cooking, is also a strong pointer at their health and their economic status. The East Africa Institute can bring additional levels of analysis and informed data to support a much wider conversation leading to impactful interventions.”
The East Africa Institute’s mission is to provide a coherent and impartial evidence-based platform for policy formulation, decision-making and action to address the challenges and harness the opportunities for adaptive and sustainable social and economic development while ensuring a resilient environmental resource base.