President Julius Maada Bio has launched the ECOWAS Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Programme in Sierra Leone, with a pilot plan to distribute 10,000 clean cooking gas canisters to households across the country.
The launch event was held at Radisson Blu Hotel on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, during a high-level dialogue focused on clean cooking, gender equality and child protection. The meeting brought together regional leaders, policymakers, development partners and private sector actors.
In his keynote speech, President Bio described clean cooking as a major public health and development issue. He said nearly 10,000 Sierra Leoneans died in 2021 due to air pollution linked to the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking.
He stressed that indoor air pollution continues to affect women and children the most, noting that the problem is tied to poverty and inequality. The President said his government has taken steps since 2018, including setting up a Clean Cooking Delivery Unit to drive reforms.
President Bio called on the private sector to invest in clean energy, saying the sector has strong potential. He also urged that women should play a leading role in the clean cooking value chain, not just as users but as entrepreneurs.
First Lady Fatima Maada Bio said many women still rely on open-fire cooking, exposing families to harmful smoke. She added that even school feeding programmes, which support over 600,000 children, often depend on unsafe cooking methods.
Minister of Energy Cyril Arnold Grant said about 72 percent of households use firewood, 22 percent rely on charcoal, and only 1.5 percent use clean cooking solutions. He described energy poverty as a key factor affecting health and gender equality.
Kenya’s First Lady Rachel Ruto also spoke at the event, calling for stronger action to ensure no woman cooks in smoke and to protect forests from overuse.
Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security, highlighted the need to expand clean cooking across the country.
Other speakers included representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Clean Cooking Alliance and ECOWAS, all supporting efforts to improve access to safe and sustainable cooking energy.
The programme is seen as an important step toward improving public health, empowering women and protecting the environment in Sierra Leone.
