Rockefeller, partners launch Clean Cooking Accelerator to expand access in Africa

The Rockefeller Foundation, Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Clean Cooking Alliance and Energy Corps have launched a new “Clean Cooking Accelerator Initiative” aimed at expanding access to modern cooking technologies across Africa.

The initiative was unveiled at a high-level dialogue on advancing energy access and cooking solutions during the 2026 Ministerial of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The organisations said the initiative reinforces their commitment to achieving universal access to clean cooking, with a focus on improving public health, empowering women and children, generating local employment, reducing forest degradation and strengthening economic resilience.

“The Rockefeller Foundation and its Mission 300 Accelerator are thrilled to be working with these organizations to take on an incredible development opportunity: expanding access to clean, modern cooking methods,” said Andrew Herscowitz, CEO of the Mission 300 Accelerator, RF Catalytic Capital, Inc.

He said there are smart, easy solutions that can prevent hundreds of thousands of people needlessly dying from indoor air pollution each year, “and we are excited to try to drive investment into solving this problem.”

Read also: FCMB Group nears 52-week high on massive N20.9bn cross deals

Approximately one billion people in Africa rely on traditional fuels such as wood and charcoal, contributing to household air pollution that the World Health Organization associates with more than 810,000 premature deaths annually.

These fuels and appliances significantly increase household air pollution for families in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially women and children, and the associated health risks, such as respiratory illnesses.

“We’re seeing real momentum behind clean cooking across Africa, but momentum alone doesn’t deliver solutions to households, schools and institutions,,” said Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Clean Cooking Alliance. She said what matters now is building the capacity, partnerships, and market foundations that allow countries to move from targets to implementation.

The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) stewards the global clean cooking agenda. CCA is the sole organization with the explicit mandate to operate at a national and global scale to enable market-based approaches for clean cooking.

“Clean cooking is a fast way to deliver dignity, health, and economic opportunity—at a massive scale. This Initiative is built to turn commitment into real projects, real infrastructure, and real access by mobilizing more capital,” said Toby Rice, CEO and Founder of Energy Corps

Complementing these efforts, the Mission 300 Accelerator is also collaborating with the Global Energy Alliance to advance clean cooking through Mission 300 National Energy Compacts.

“The Global Energy Alliance has seen firsthand how electric cooking can transform lives, already reaching over 26,000 people in Kenya and Uganda through our Productive Use Financing Facility (PUFF),” said Woochong Um, CEO of the Global Energy Alliance.

He said the Clean Cooking Accelerator Initiative supercharges this momentum, aligning with Mission 300 to build resilient energy systems and empower communities through local, expert-led implementation.”

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date