G20 endorses voluntary plan for clean cooking solutions

The G20, under South Africa’s presidency, elevated clean cooking as a standing item for discussion at the G20 summit held in November in Johannesburg.

The World Liquid Gas Association (WLGA) and the Clean Cooking Alliance had called for G20 members to approve and implement the Clean Cooking Infrastructure Investment Plan. WLGA works in Africa to promote the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a cleaner alternative fuel.

Universal access to clean cooking could be achieved within this decade through an annual global investment of $8 billion, of which $4 billion would be required specifically for Africa, as outlined in the Clean Cooking Infrastructure Investment Plan, according to the WLGA.

G20 members followed with a declaration that included a statement on the Voluntary Infrastructure Investment Action Plan to Accelerate the Deployment of Clean Cooking Solutions.

“The G20’s endorsement of the Voluntary Infrastructure Investment Action Plan is a historic moment for efforts to expand access to clean cooking solutions across Africa and the Global South,” says James Rockall, managing director and CEO of the WLGA. “Although this plan is voluntary, elevating this topic onto the global economic stage underscores that rapid progress must be made, with nearly 2.5 billion people – including four in five Africans – currently relying on hazardous biomass fuels for cooking.

“We urge G20 members to ensure their policy reforms and investment strategies recognize LPG’s unique capacity to drive universal energy access, affordability and accelerate a just energy transition across the African continent.”

In December 2024, the WLGA launched a new roadmap to expand access to clean cooking solutions across Africa by increasing availability of LPG. The roadmap was authored by S&P Global Commodity Insights and commissioned by the Cooking For Life Africa Task Force, an industry initiative including Amtrol Alfa, Equinor, Hexagon Ragasco, Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., Oryx Energies, Petredec, S&P Global, SHV Energy and Total Energies.

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