U.S. Grains Council Expands Clean Cooking Initiatives with Bioethanol Opportunities in Africa
The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) recently organized a clean cooking symposium in Nairobi, Kenya and roundtable in Washington, D.C. to discuss policy measures and opportunities for encouraging clean cooking use in Africa. Through these clean cooking initiatives, the Council is taking necessary steps to continue fostering partnerships in Africa.
In February in Kenya, the Council’s clean cooking symposium connected with local industry leaders and policymakers to discuss the environmental and human health benefits of cooking with biofuels when compared to other traditional fuel sources.
The seminar attracted more than 35 attendees from across East Africa to share innovations in ethanol distribution, advance cookstove technologies, and streamline consumer adoption.
“As African markets continue to develop, the Council believes there are opportunities in the clean cooking space that will create additional demand for U.S. ethanol while improving air quality in homes,” said Ramy H. Taieb, USGC regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
“As suburban populations rise, we anticipate a corresponding growth in demand for ethanol for use in clean cooking, but domestic biofuel supplies in Africa remain low, so there will be export opportunities for the U.S. ethanol industry,” Taieb said.
Other topics covered during the symposium included a roadmap for Kenya’s clean cooking adoption and a panel on trade regulations and private sector incentives with government officials from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda offering their perspectives.
In March, the Council hosted a clean cooking roundtable in Washington, D.C. to discuss solutions to make cooking with biofuels more accessible in Africa. Attendees included officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and multiple African embassies who shared their views on the benefits of clean cooking and how to alleviate trade barriers for ethanol.
“The Council is committed to supporting clean cooking initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Linda Schmid, USGC multilateral ethanol policy manager. “A key focus is improving frameworks to enable commercial use of bioethanol in the marketplace. The success of bioethanol in previous applications in the domestic U.S. showcases its potential in advancing energy security solutions.”
The roundtable featured presentations on USGC bioethanol initiatives, clean cooking standards, EPA household energy initiatives and direct engagement opportunities for advancing clean cooking.
“The Council looks forward to engaging with Sub-Saharan African logistics companies, energy and environmental stakeholders and consumers in the near future to position U.S. producers as the preferred provider of biofuels for clean cooking in the region,” Taieb said.
U.S. Grains Council Multilateral Ethanol Policy Manager Linda Schmid (leftmost) spoke at a roundtable meeting in Washington, D.C. Attendees included officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and multiple African embassies who shared their views on the benefits of clean cooking and how to alleviate trade barriers for ethanol.