Cooking up Success: Solar Kitchen Initiative Aims to Expand Access to Clean Energy in Angola

In rural Angola, women lead much of the agricultural work, manage farms, and run households and cooperatives. Improving their access to energy and other resources can transform rural economies. Credit: UNDP Angola
  • Opinion by Judite Toloko da Silva, Heila Monteiro (luanda, angola)
  • Inter Press Service

LUANDA, Angola, Jan 28 (IPS) - Access to energy is essential for sustainable development, but for many rural communities, it’s still out of reach. In Angola, according to the 2019-2020 agricultural census, most rural villages lack access to electricity.

Over 83 percent of villages have no electricity at all, while 11 percent rely on private generators. These numbers highlight the urgent need for better energy solutions to support rural communities and boost their development.

Hence, earlier this year, three teams from UNDP Angola joined the dedicated Crowdfunding Academy for Nature, Climate and Energy projects in Africa, supported by the UNDP Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy and the IRH- Alternative Finance Lab.

Through this experience, UNDP Angola launched its first-ever crowdfunding campaign: "Solar Kitchen: Cooking with the Right Energy!".

This campaign is part of a regional effort, which will include more campaigns in the region under the same thematic area. Alongside other countries, the Solar Kitchen campaign becomes part of the new UNDP Africa #SwitchIt crowdfunding initiative.

This is a pan-African push to address the UNDP Energy Moonshot that aims to provide sustainable, affordable and reliable energy to an additional 500 million people by 2025, while advancing a fair energy transition and also being a pathway to economic empowerment, gender equality and improved quality of life.

How can Solar Kitchens make a difference?

Many women in Angola dedicate their lives to farming and transforming crop production to support their families. However, they face significant challenges due to the lack of electricity. For example, in Huila, southern province of Angola, in the Cacula municipality, women are facing challenges to effectively produce and store their harvests, such as pumpkin and sweet potato, resulting in regular loss.

Through solar-powered kitchens and improved access to resources like water and processing equipment, the Solar Kitchen initiative aims to boost agricultural production and create sustainable livelihoods.

Women like Isabel and Maria, who lead local cooperatives, stand to benefit directly. With access to energy, they can enhance productivity, expand cultivated areas and invest in their economic growth.

The pilot project in Cacula is expected to positively impact directly 47 women, providing them with better living and working conditions. Seventy-eight families stand to benefit through improved food security and income generation, and an estimated 468 people, including local students, will gain access to clean energy.

Furthermore, with access to better tools and training, cooperatives could see a 250 percent increase in cultivated areas and agricultural production, as observed in other regions in Huíla.

These women are key to the success of the Solar Kitchen initiative. In rural Angola, they lead much of the agricultural work, manage farms, and run households and cooperatives. However, without access to energy, their potential is limited by unpaid, time-consuming labour and few opportunities to grow.

The Solar Kitchen campaign helps by reducing the time and effort women spend on difficult tasks, giving them more freedom to improve their businesses and focus on personal development. By addressing the gaps in infrastructure and access to resources, the initiative creates an ecosystem where rural communities can thrive.

How can you help?

The success of the "Solar Kitchen: Cooking with the Right Energy" campaign depends on collective action. Whether through donations or by sharing the campaign within your network, your support can create lasting change. Together, we can empower women like Isabel and Maria, strengthen their rural economies and foster sustainable development in the country.

Let’s cook with the right energy and pave the way for a more sustainable Angola—one solar kitchen at a time.

The Solar Kitchen initiative forms part of a larger initiative for UNDP in Angola, "Kurima – Embracing the Transformation of Rural Economies", which focuses on improving access to clean energy, enhancing agricultural productivity, and promoting inclusive financial and digital services. This holistic effort aims to empower rural communities, particularly female-led cooperatives, by addressing the systemic challenges they face.

Judite Toloko da Silva is Head of Exploration, UNDP Angola;

Heila Monteiro is Communication and Advocacy Specialist, UNDP Angola

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