DKT. BITEKO’S DIRECTIVE FOR ALL LIVESTOCK MARKETS TO USE CLEAN COOKING ENERGY BEGINS IMPLEMENTATION

📌 Meat roasters and food vendors at Msalato Market in Dodoma begin experiencing the benefits of Clean Cooking Energy.

📌 Dkt. Biteko says this is the outcome of President Dkt. Samia’s vision, who understands the struggles of using unsafe cooking energy.

📌 Orders Dodoma City Director to establish infrastructure that will ensure safe Clean Cooking stoves for meat roasters.

📌 Commends REA and the Ministry of Energy for implementing his directive; STAMICO instructed to set up a permanent alternative charcoal center at Msalato Market.

📌 A major electricity distribution and national grid control center to be built in Dodoma.

The directive by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Hon. Dkt. Doto Biteko, requiring the Rural Energy Agency (REA) to ensure all livestock markets in the country have infrastructure that will enable meat roasters and food vendors to use Clean Cooking Energy, has begun to be implemented as part of President Dkt. Samia Suluhu Hassan’s agenda to ensure all citizens access clean cooking energy.

The journey to ensure that all markets in the country adopt clean cooking energy began at Msalato Market in Dodoma, where on 21st August 2025, Dkt. Biteko distributed improved cooking stoves to about 27 food vendors serving at the market, along with stoves for roasting meat.

“As you know, H.E. the President directed that by 2034, at least 80% of Tanzanians should be using clean cooking energy. This directive is being implemented. We started with institutions that feed more than 100 people, removing the use of firewood and charcoal in prisons, secondary schools, colleges, and other institutions. One of the remaining areas is the markets that serve many people,” said Dkt. Biteko.

He explained that the work of installing Clean Cooking Energy systems in markets began with a survey to understand the reality of current usage. The survey revealed that 89.5% of meat roasters had no knowledge of clean cooking energy, while 26.3% had tried using it before, leaving the majority who had never used it. This shows more work is needed to achieve wide adoption.

He emphasized that these government efforts on Clean Cooking Energy are the fruits of President Dkt. Samia Suluhu Hassan, a leader who understands the hardships of unsafe cooking energy and has consistently directed that more people should move away from unsafe cooking sources.

He further noted that Tanzania is the only country in Africa that has launched a National Clean Cooking Energy Strategy, becoming a continental example, with other countries coming to learn from it. Tanzania, therefore, must lead by living up to its commitments.

In another directive, Dkt. Biteko instructed the Dodoma City Director to put in place permanent infrastructure for clean cooking stoves in markets across the region, starting immediately.

He also ordered the State Mining Corporation (STAMICO) to establish a permanent center for alternative charcoal sales at Msalato Market to ensure accessibility.

Additionally, he tasked REA with ensuring the availability of large stoves for meat roasting that use clean cooking energy, to protect both the roasters and customers from health hazards going forward.

Dkt. Biteko commended REA and officials of the Ministry of Energy for their swift response to his directive and urged them to continue innovating to ensure wider access to clean cooking energy while also conducting regular assessments of its usage in markets.

He also called on food vendors to support the clean cooking agenda and become ambassadors of clean cooking energy, since once people see the benefits through them, they too will be encouraged to adopt it.

During the ceremony, Dkt. Biteko expressed gratitude to President Dkt. Samia Suluhu Hassan for her exemplary work in the energy sector, highlighting that Dodoma Region will soon become a hub for electricity distribution to various regions including Singida, Shinyanga, Tabora, Kigoma, and Arusha. He added that a major center for electricity distribution and national grid control will also be built in Dodoma.

Dodoma Regional Commissioner, Rosemary Senyamule, stated that Msalato Market serves between 2,000 and 3,000 people weekly, and by adopting clean cooking energy, the environment will be protected by reducing dependence on firewood and charcoal. She urged that the clean cooking campaign be extended to other markets where many food vendors operate.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Eng. Felchesmi Mramba, thanked Dkt. Biteko for his vision that has enabled Msalato Market to access clean cooking energy as a starting point for rolling out to other markets.

He explained that the use of clean cooking energy has increased from 6.9% in 2022 to 20.3% currently, adding that at this rate of adoption, the government will achieve its target of reaching 80% by 2034 as directed by H.E. the President.

Meanwhile, the Director General of REA, Eng. Hassan Saidy, said Msalato Market has between 45–50 meat roasters, all of whom will be provided with large clean cooking stoves, and 27 food vendors who have already received improved stoves.

Chairman of the Meat Roasters at Msalato Market, Mathias Raphael, said that after receiving education on clean cooking energy, he has started using an alternative charcoal stove which consumes less, cooks more meat, lasts longer, and produces no smoke.