Gov't official cautions on standards of cook stoves

ENERGY 

The manufacturers of clean cooking stoves should ensure that standards are met as required by Uganda National Bureau of standards (UNBS), the acting commissioner in the ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Wilson Wafula has said.

Addressing participants during the standardizations and certification of cook stoves meeting in Kampala, Wafula warned that the cook stoves manufactured locally would be subjected to the standards agency test.

"The standards should be enforced after the UNBS has approved the product," Wafula said.

The meeting aimed at ensuring certification and standardization of clean cooking products was organized by Uganda National Alliance on Clean Cooking (UNACC) and supported by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

It attracted cook stoves manufacturers from the different districts of the country.

The acting commissioner also urged the cook stoves sector to form an association that is credible to engage government on clean cooking technologies.

"It would be good to have one strong association, we don't want uncoordinated associations. This business of charcoal, ash biogas associations should stop," he warned.

The commissioner rejected the participants' demand to remove taxes on imported cook stoves saying the taxes should be increased instead in order to encourage the locally made stoves.

A cross section of participants during a meeting on certification in Kampala

The commissioner was backed by the regional representative of East Africa Global Alliance on Cook stoves, Daniel Wanjohi who said any cook stove must meet the mandatory standards.

Wanjohi enumerated benefits of standardization as growing the market, discourage open fire and product uptake will go up among others.

He emphasized that cook stove sector plays key critical role in the development of our economy by creating jobs.

Wanjohi encouraged clean cooking sector to put more resources in research to better their product and to enable them compete internationally.

The coordinator of UNACC, Alfred Kusiima said clean cooking should be give equal weight like electricity.

"It's a call; we need to wake up because cooking is central when it comes to health and environment. We need to reduce emissions," Kusiima told participants.