NREP Highlights
Advancing Clean Cooking in Uganda: Highlights from Masaka City Clean Cooking Campaign
On behalf of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, 27th to 31st January 2025, the National Renewable Energy Platform (NREP) in partnership with the Uganda National Alliance on Clean Cooking (UNACC) with support from the UK AID/MECS funded under Behavioral Change Communication on Electric Cooking (BCCeC) project successfully held a Clean Cooking Campaign in Masaka City. The Event was aimed at engaging leaders and the public to raise awareness and promote the adoption of cleaner, more efficient cooking technologies, particularly electric cooking appliances.
The week-long event featured exhibitions, live demonstrations, radio talk shows, leaders’ workshop, and interactive community engagement sessions. Attendees had the opportunity to experience the performance of modern cooking technologies while taking cognizance of their numerous benefits, including improved health, reduced fuel costs, reduced cooking time, improved safety and convenience and environmental conservation. The enthusiastic attendees at the leaders’ workshops and exhibitions were also given an opportunity, through their representatives to actively participate in electric cooking and recording of statistics including cooking time, amount of energy spent and others. Many participants expressed keen interest in transitioning to cleaner cooking solutions, underscoring the growing demand for sustainable energy alternatives.
As Uganda continues its journey towards universal access to clean cooking, initiatives like these will play a crucial role in fostering awareness and driving behavioral change. The success of the Masaka clean cooking campaign set the stage for the currently ongoing Clean Cooking Campaigns in Mbale City from 10th to 14th February, 2025 and the upcoming in Jinja City from 17th to 21st February, 2025.
Enhancing Evidence-Based Decision-Making: NREP & ACRES Collaboration
NREP and ACRES are collaborating to enhance evidence-based policymaking in Uganda’s renewable energy sector by integrating high-quality research and data-driven decision-making.
Clean Cooking Promotion Roadmap for Refugee Host Communities – 2025
NREP is leading efforts to enhance clean cooking adoption in Uganda’s refugee settlements by coordinating stakeholders, mobilizing resources, and promoting policy-driven solutions.
RE Sector Highlights Around the Region and Globe
1. Carbon Pricing in Africa
Carbon pricing assigns a monetary value to greenhouse gas emissions, incentivizing firms to reduce emissions through cleaner production technologies and improved efficiency. It also generates revenue for sustainable development. Over 70 jurisdictions worldwide have implemented carbon taxes or emissions-trading systems to align economic growth with climate objectives. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, countries finalized negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Climate Agreement, aiming to standardize such markets. This involved adopting rules to facilitate cross-border cooperation on emissions-reduction projects. While these rules enhance transparency and accountability, a standardized framework poses some risks for Africa.
2. UECCC's ORIO Mini Hydropower Project
On February 1st, 2025, the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and the Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company (UECCC), launched the ORIO mini hydropower project in Mitooma District. The project involves constructing nine mini-hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 6.7 MW and a 288-kilometer local distribution network, covering the districts of Kasese, Bushenyi, Mitooma, Hoima, Kabarole, Bunyangabu, and Bundibugyo. Upon completion, it is expected to provide electricity to 71,081 households and 2,300 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in rural Western Uganda.
3. How schools are helping to avert climate change impact
Institutions of learning are among the leading consumers of firewood in Uganda, a phenomenon exacerbating deforestation. The consequences of deforestation go beyond the loss of biodiversity it worsens climate change effects including disrupted rainfall patterns, extreme weather events such as floods and drought and increased earth surface temperature. To address this, however, schools are now being challenged to embrace clean cooking and eco-friendly innovations to reverse the trend.
4. Uganda's Push for Clean Cooking
Christine Kagimu, a mother of six from a small town near Kampala, has transitioned from using a charcoal stove to an electric-powered induction cooker powered by two solar panels on her roof. This shift reduces reliance on expensive and polluting charcoal, offering a more sustainable and cost-effective cooking solution.
Upcoming Events
Clean Cooking Campaigns in Mbale and Jinja
NREP and UNACC, supported by UK Aid, MECS, and MEMD, are organizing Clean Cooking Campaigns to promote the adoption of cleaner, more efficient cooking technologies. The campaigns will feature live demonstrations, expert discussions, and community engagement.
Mbale Clean Cooking Campaign
- Date: February 10th - 14th, 2025
- Location: Mbale Central Market, Mbale City
Jinja Clean Cooking Campaign
- Date: February 17th - 21st, 2025
- Location: Jinja Central Market, Jinja City
The Buganda Kingdom Clean Cooking Demonstration 2025
On February 26th, 2025, a Clean Cooking Campaign will be held at Bulange, Mengo, organized by NREP in collaboration with Buganda Kingdom and UNACC, with support from UK Aid, Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD). The event aims to raise awareness about the benefits of clean cooking solutions, addressing challenges like indoor air pollution, deforestation, and high fuel costs.
Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF) 2025
The EAIF 2025, organized by the Alliance for Rural Electrification and supported by GET.invest, will be held at the Speke Resort Munyonyo from April 8th to 10th, 2025. The forum aims to foster business and investor partnerships to advance sustainable electricity access, decarbonization, economic growth, and climate change mitigation.
Training on Repair and Maintenance of Electric Cooking Appliances
The Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC), in partnership with MECS and MEMD, is launching a training program to equip technicians with skills to troubleshoot, repair, and maintain electric cooking appliances such as air fryers, induction cookers, and electric pressure cookers. This initiative aims to ensure the sustainable adoption and use of these technologies.
Funding Opportunities
Inclusive Energy Opportunity
Funding from Good Energies supports 10 women-led or locally-owned energy start-ups with insights on customer impact to help them scale and secure investment.
OPEN by CSI Energy Group:
OPEN provides up to $100,000 in funding and expertise to women-led energy businesses in Africa with an annual turnover above $25,000 and at least three employees.
TECHgrow Call for Applications
A program by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Circle Innovation supporting GreenTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, and e-mobility start-ups with tech development, market validation, and access to Germany’s innovation ecosystem.
Productive Use Appliance Financing Facility
Launched by CLASP and Nithio in 2022, this facility makes productive use appliances more affordable across off-grid, mini-grid, and grid-connected sectors in emerging markets, including Uganda.
