MEMD Launches the Uganda Biogas and eCooking Project with AfDB Support

The Permanent Secretary MEMD, represented by C/ERD, Dr. Brian E. Isabirye today officially launched the Uganda Biogas and Electric Cooking Project (UBEP), signaling a major push toward advancing the national clean cooking transition agenda.

The technical launch hosted at Amber House, as a two-day mission by the African Development Bank (AfDB) follows the political launch held at REC25 that was convened by MEMD and partners, attended by MoFPED, and other key government and private sector stakeholders.

The mission running from 5th – 6th May is being held in a hybrid format, bringing together participants from within and outside Uganda.

UBEP, a flagship initiative under Uganda’s National Clean Cooking Strategy and Energy Compact, aims to accelerate eCooking adoption, expand institutional biogas, strengthen private sector participation, and unlock carbon financing. The project is expected to contribute significantly to green jobs, local enterprise growth, and Uganda’s climate goals, in line with the Ministry’s commitments under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

In his opening remarks, Dr. Isabirye noted that the project will significantly accelerate electric cooking uptake, expand institutional biogas, strengthen private sector participation, and build technical and after-sales systems, all critical for sustainable market development. He stated that the mission is not merely another policy forum but a practical reset to advance a sector at the intersection of energy access, climate action, public health, gender equity, and household incomes.

Dr. Isabirye appreciated the AfDB for this financing and strategic support, noting that through interventions such as UBEP, the Bank is delivering on its commitment to allocate 20% of its energy financing to clean cooking, approximately $2 billion over the 2024–2034 period, as pledged at the Clean Cooking Summit in Africa in Paris. He further noted that, for Uganda, this project is catalytic in generating the lessons needed to scale forward, as the country mobilises the approximately $100 million required annually through 2030; from public, concessional, private, and blended sources, to stay on course for national targets and achieve universal access before 2040.

During the launch, Dr. Isabirye emphasized governance, accountability, robust procurement, and results-driven monitoring as critical success factors. The two-day mission that started today will focus on refining implementation priorities, performance management, and scale-up pathways, including embedding carbon finance mechanisms to ensure long-term project sustainability.

Over the course of the deliberations, the meetings are expected to sharpen governance, procurement, financial management, environmental and social safeguards, risk controls, and performance tracking while resolving early implementation bottlenecks.

The message from today’s opening was unmistakable: Uganda, through MEMD leadership, is determined to move clean cooking from ambition to impact, consistently, and at scale.

The launch therefore strategically positions Uganda at the forefront of Africa’s clean cooking agenda, ahead of the 2nd edition of the Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa to be held in July 2026 in Nairobi, co-organised by the AfDB, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the governments of Norway and the United States.

Uganda Biogas and Electric Cooking Project (UBEP) – Advancing clean cooking, climate action, green jobs, and universal energy access.