Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Ethiopia’s Modern Cooking Transition: Insights from the JustGESI Report
Cover page of the latest JustGESI report, written by team members Solomon Teklemichael Bahta, Fana Filli Nurhusen, and Akatew Haile Mebrahtu from Mekelle University, Ethiopia
JustGESI team members Solomon Teklemichael Bahta, Fana Filli Nurhusen, and Akatew Haile Mebrahtu from Mekelle University, Ethiopia, supported by Serena Saligari (Loughborough University), Mulualem Gebregiorgis (Sheffield Hallam University), and Yiheyis Eshetu (Ministry of Water and Energy, Ethiopia), present a report providing an overview of Ethiopia’s transition to modern cooking. An executive summary of the report is provided below:
Ethiopia’s cooking energy transition is occurring at a pivotal moment. Despite substantial renewable energy potential, household energy use remains overwhelmingly biomass-based: in 2022, 98% of household energy consumption came from firewood, charcoal, and agricultural residues, while electricity accounted for only 2–3%. Electrification under National Electrification Program (NEP) 2.0 has expanded access, yet deep inequalities persist whereby 96.2% of urban households are connected to the grid compared to 26.7% in rural areas and service quality remains poor, limiting the feasibility of electric cooking.
Decades of clean cooking efforts have focused on improved biomass cookstoves (ICS), with more than 20 million units disseminated since 2011. However, most ICS achieve only Tier 2–3 performance and maintain dependence on biomass. Higher-tier electric options such as electric injera mitads and electric pressure cookers offer far greater potential but face affordability barriers, low consumer awareness, and widespread availability of substandard appliances.
Recent policy frameworks such as the National Sustainable Energy Development Strategy (N-SEDS) and the National Clean Cooking Roadmap (NCCR) signal a shift toward modern energy cooking services. N-SEDS targets an increase in clean cooking access from 8% to 51% by 2030, while the NCCR projects deployment of 16.2 million electric cooking appliances by 2035. Yet implementation is constrained by institutional fragmentation, weak enforcement of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), inadequate market surveillance, and chronic under-financing. More than 80% of historical clean cooking funding has come from donors, and domestic investment remains limited.
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) challenges remain central. Women and girls bear disproportionate burdens from biomass use, including time poverty, exposure to household air pollution, and limited decision-making power. Without gender-responsive financing and inclusive policy design, modern cooking benefits will remain unevenly distributed.
This report synthesises national strategies, empirical studies, and market assessments to identify key opportunities: utility-led demand-side management, on-bill financing, second-life battery integration, targeted fiscal incentives for local manufacturing, and integration of eCooking into NEP 3.0. It also highlights the need for a dedicated National Clean Cooking Coordination Unit (NCCCU) to address institutional fragmentation.
Achieving universal clean cooking access by 2030 requires a decisive shift from incremental biomass improvements toward scalable, efficient, and affordable electric cooking solutions. Global evidence shows that sustained transitions depend not only on technology availability but also on behavioural, affordability, governance, and political-economy factors. Addressing energy stacking, gendered agency constraints, and weak supply chains while strengthening data-driven planning and gender-responsive financing will be essential for a just and transformative transition.
