Closing the clean cooking gap in Ghana and Kenya: Access trajectories, costs, and policy

Achieving universal access to clean cooking is a central target of the Sustainable Development Goals, yet progress in sub-Saharan Africa remains limited. Nearly one billion people in the region continue to depend on traditional biomass fuels, with adverse consequences for public health, deforestation, and soil degradation. The burden is particularly acute for women and children, who face disproportionate health risks and time losses from fuel collection. This study assesses the current state of clean cooking fuel access in Ghana and Kenya – two countries with distinct sociocultural and economic contexts but which face shared energy challenges. It then examines the economic, environmental, and social costs of traditional fuel use along with the challenges of adopting cooking with clean fuels, and it then projects future progress of this adoption. Despite rising uptake of liquefied petroleum gas and electricity in urban areas, rural households remain reliant on wood and charcoal. Projections indicate that by 2030, Ghana’s clean cooking access will reach only 41%, while Kenya’s will probably reach 57%, falling significantly short of universal access under SDG7. The associated costs are substantial, reaching an estimated $18 billion annually in Ghana and $39 billion in Kenya. The analysis emphasizes the need to establish policy frameworks that combine infrastructure investments, targeted subsidies, and awareness campaigns tailored to local culture. It is essential to link access to clean cooking methods to health policies, gender equality, and climate strategies in order to accelerate their adoption and avoid exacerbating existing inequalities