Millions of African women still cook with firewood and charcoal every day, but a major summit expected to mobilise funding for cleaner cooking solutions has been postponed, leaving the people most affected by smoke, deforestation, and energy poverty waiting once again.

Development Diaries reports that the Nairobi Clean Cooking Investment Summit, which was expected to build on the momentum of a previous global gathering that secured $2.2 billion in commitments, has been postponed indefinitely due to what organisers described as ‘travel uncertainty’.

For women like Alinafe, who lives in a farming community in Malawi’s Lilongwe District, the postponement is unlikely to appear in any news alert. She will simply wake up before dawn, walk long distances to collect firewood, return home to cook over an open fire, and spend another day inhaling smoke that health experts say contributes to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths across sub-Saharan Africa every year.

The summit’s postponement may look like a scheduling issue in diplomatic circles, but for millions of households still dependent on wood, charcoal, crop residue, and other traditional fuels, it represents another delay in a transition that was already moving far too slowly.

What clean cooking means

Four out of every five households in sub-Saharan Africa still rely on solid biomass fuels for cooking and heating, despite years of international commitments to improve energy access and reduce the health risks associated with traditional cooking methods.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), household air pollution linked to traditional cooking fuels contributes to more than 500,000 deaths annually across the region, and women and children bear most of the burden because they spend the most time near cooking fires.

The environmental consequences are equally significant because heavy reliance on firewood and charcoal contributes to deforestation while traditional biomass combustion releases pollutants that worsen climate change.

Why the summit mattered

The first major international clean cooking summit, held in Paris in 2024, generated $2.2 billion in public and private commitments aimed at expanding access to cleaner cooking technologies.

The Nairobi summit was expected to build on that momentum by attracting new commitments, accelerating funding disbursement, and strengthening Kenya’s role as a continental hub for clean cooking investment and policy coordination.

According to tracking by the International Energy Agency (IEA), less than a quarter of the funding pledged in Paris had been disbursed by mid-2025, making continued momentum particularly important.

The postponement, therefore, comes at a time when many countries are still struggling to translate promises into practical access for households.

Organisers have not announced a new date, nor have they publicly outlined any interim mechanism for maintaining funding momentum while preparations remain suspended.

The funding problem

Liquefied petroleum gas, biogas systems, improved cookstoves, solar-powered cooking technologies, and other alternatives have been tested across different African contexts. So, the main obstacle is not technology but financing.

The IEA estimates that achieving universal access to clean cooking in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 would require annual investments of roughly four billion dollars, but current investment levels remain well below that figure.

Many households cannot afford the upfront cost of cleaner technologies, while businesses operating in the sector often struggle to secure financing capable of reaching rural and low-income communities.

What is failing

In many African countries, clean cooking remains overshadowed by larger energy projects such as electricity generation, transmission infrastructure, and petroleum development. As a result, it often receives less political attention and fewer dedicated budget allocations.

International development finance has followed a similar pattern, with large-scale energy infrastructure projects attracting substantial support, while household energy access receives a smaller share of available funding despite affecting far more citizens directly.

The market itself also faces challenges because clean cooking solutions often require subsidies, flexible payment arrangements, and distribution networks capable of reaching communities that commercial investors consider difficult or unprofitable.

As a consequence, millions of households remain trapped between expensive alternatives they cannot afford and traditional fuels that continue to damage their health and environment.

Citizens’ rights

Access to clean cooking is closely linked to the rights to health, a clean environment, and an adequate standard of living.

Women and children suffering preventable illnesses from household air pollution are experiencing the consequences of a policy and financing gap rather than a lack of available solutions. The longer investment mobilisation is delayed, the longer that gap remains open.

What needs to happen

The governments and institutions behind the Nairobi summit should publish a new date and an interim financing mechanism capable of sustaining momentum until the event takes place.

The IEA, Kenya, Norway, the United States, and other partners involved in the initiative should also provide regular public updates on how existing commitments are being disbursed and how communities are benefiting from them.

At the national level, governments should increase budgetary support for clean cooking programmes and integrate household energy access into broader development and public health planning.

A postponed summit may appear to be a logistical adjustment for policymakers and investors, but for millions of African women still cooking over smoky fires every day, every delay means another day spent collecting firewood, inhaling smoke, and waiting for a solution the world already knows how to provide.