Addis Ababa. Tanzania’s Vice President, Dr. Isdor Mpango, has underscored the importance of energy transition as a cornerstone in combating climate change, highlighting his country’s commitment to renewable energy investments.
Speaking at the African Heads of State Summit on Climate Change held in Addis Ababa on Monday, Dr. Mpango said Tanzania is scaling up investments in hydropower, solar, geothermal, and wind energy. He noted that natural gas is also being used as a clean transitional energy source to support industrialization and to drive a national clean cooking strategy that aims to ensure 80 percent of households adopt clean cooking solutions by 2034.
Dr. Mpango reaffirmed Tanzania’s pledge to work with partners to achieve the continent-wide goal of connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, a commitment first outlined during the Africa Energy Mission 300 Summit held in Dar es Salaam in January this year.
“Tanzania remains committed and looks forward to working with all stakeholders to advance these continental ambitions,” said Dr. Mpango.
He further pointed to the Blue Economy Policy in Zanzibar and Tanzania Mainland’s Strategic Blue Economy Plan, which promote the sustainable use of ocean, coastal, and terrestrial resources while supporting jobs and resilience in fisheries, maritime transport, and tourism.
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The Addis Ababa summit, hosted at the International Conference Center, marked the second gathering of African leaders on climate matters. The meeting’s theme, “Accelerating Global Climate Solutions and Financing for Africa’s Resilient and Green Development,” guided discussions that included a symbolic tree-planting exercise by participating leaders as a demonstration of nature-based solutions to climate change.
Dr. Mpango was accompanied by a high-level delegation including Zanzibar’s Minister of State in the Second Vice President’s Office, Hamza Hassan Juma; Tanzania Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Cosato Chumi; Permanent Secretary in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Engineer Cyprian Luhemeja; Tanzania’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Innocent Shio; as well as technical experts.
