Former Second Lady Samira Bawumia delivered an inspiring speech at the day-two of the 2025 Africa Women and Children Conference (AFRIWOCC) on October 7, 2025, at the Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra.
As Founder and Chairperson of AFRIWOCC, she called for women’s and children’s voices to be central in tackling Africa’s challenges, particularly clean cooking solutions.
“At the heart of this crisis are women. In many African communities, women and girls spend hours each day collecting firewood and charcoal, often at great personal risk. This time could be better spent on education, livelihoods, and innovation,” she said.
“It is a burden passed down through generations, but we have the knowledge and technology to lift it,” the former second lady added.
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Samira Bawumia urged African leaders to honor their promises, stressing that traditional fuels contribute to deforestation, health risks, and environmental degradation.
“By scaling up clean cooking solutions, Africa can significantly contribute to global climate goals while protecting its forests and ecosystems. There is hope; LPG, biogas, ethanol, solar, and electric cooking solutions are already transforming lives where investments have been made,” she explained.
Bawumia further noted that although over $2 billion has been pledged for clean cooking in Africa, financing must translate into real impact.
“Experts estimate that a few billion dollars annually, a small fraction of global climate financing, could deliver universal access,” she mentioned.
Samira Bawumia highlighted AFRIWOCC’s advocacy, including promoting clean cooking in schools, and reaffirmed her role as Global Champion for the Clean Cooking Alliance.
“Research shows that universal access to clean cooking could save $50 billion annually in health costs and lost productivity globally, with Africa accounting for a significant share. This means millions of women could be liberated from fuel poverty and its associated issues. Today’s panel allows us to move from aspiration to acceleration,” she concluded.
This year’s AFRIWOCC, themed “Young Voices, Innovative Ideas, Greater Impacts for Africa”, brings together over 500 delegates from across Africa and the diaspora.
The second edition will end with a concert featuring Lasmid, Olivetheboy, Amandzeba, Rocky Dawuni, Bessa Simons, and Okyeame Kwame.
NAD/MA
