According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), around 2 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean cooking solutions. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the largest share of this shortfall, with around 1 billion people. The widespread use of traditional biomass poses serious risks to health and the environment: the World Health Organisation estimates that around 2.9 million premature deaths occur each year (around 800,000 in sub-Saharan Africa) due to household air pollution, with women and children being particularly vulnerable. The "Eni for Clean Cooking" initiative, designed to enable access to better cooking methods, has been launched in Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, Mozambique, Angola, Rwanda, Tanzania and Madagascar, with plans to consider its extension to additional Sub-Saharan African nations. These improved cooking systems reduce wood and charcoal use, significantly cutting the carbon footprint linked to cooking activities and enhancing the quality of life of the families involved. In 2025, the programme reached around 2.2 million individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa, totalling 4.7 million since its inception. Eni, has also subscribed to the ‘Clean Cooking Declaration: Making 2024 the pivotal year for Clean Cooking to speed up access to modern cooking solutions, vital for enabling everyone to utilise affordable, dependable, and sustainable energy, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7. The declaration was signed by governments, the private sector, international organisations, and civil society at the Paris Summit. During the year, feasibility studies were launched for the deployment of ‘advanced’ Clean Cooking technologies. These studies envisage the distribution of induction cookers in urban settings and pyrolysis systems in rural areas. They aim to foster a circular economy approach by utilising agricultural residues, including by-products from Eni's agri feedstock supply chain. The programme aims to reach 10 million individuals by 2027 and 20 million by 2030. A key feature of the programme is its strong focus on supporting local supply chains: around 90 per cent of the stoves are manufactured in the countries where the programme operates, thanks to collaboration with local businesses and industrial partners. The programme offers a range of benefits: lower costs for households, reduced fuel consumption, time savings, improved home safety and better indoor air quality. Evidence gathered from the projects shows significant reductions in fine particulate matter (-49%) and carbon monoxide (-85%), with positive effects on health. The programme incorporates health monitoring activities and awareness campaigns on health, nutrition and hygiene, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 3. The gender dimension is also significant: the reduction in time spent collecting fuel and cooking allows women to devote themselves to educational and economic activities, promoting women’s empowerment.
The adoption of advanced cookstoves
From 2025 onwards, the programme has evolved by launching a pilot phase for the large-scale introduction of advanced cookstoves, characterised by a higher level of technology and an almost zero environmental impact. For urban areas, it primarily involves electric induction cookers (e-cooking), which allow for faster, safer cooking with no local emissions. For rural areas, where access to electricity may be limited or intermittent, the plan is to introduce pyrolytic or gasification cookers, capable of efficiently utilising agroforestry residues, agricultural by-products and materials derived from Eni’s agro-industrial supply chain. As part of a circular economy model, these technologies enable the complete elimination of the use of non-renewable biomass, thereby removing the impact of cooking activities on deforestation and significantly reducing health risks.
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