Project overview

Carbon Credits Tanzania aims to create a replicable model, scalable through carbon financing, to improve food security, nutrition and health of low-income communities while protecting the environment by transitioning towards modern electric cooking.

Challenge

WFP works with thousands of schools around the world to help them provide a nutritious daily meal for millions of children in need. However, more than 80 percent of meals in WFP-assisted schools are prepared on dangerous and rudimentary three-stone fires — which pose a serious threat to health, safety
and the environment. Globally, 2.3 billion people lack access to clean cooking solutions, relying on burning biomass with severe socio-economic, health and environmental consequences.

Solution

Through the Carbon Credits Tanzania initiative, WFP and SEforALL aim to enable the switch to electric cooking solutions in 50 grid-connected government primary schools. Leveraging schools’ role as platforms for innovation and transformational change, efficient cooking options will be proposed to households in the community for wider adoption, starting with the parents of school children. The project will overcome awareness barriers through campaigns and training at the government, school, and community levels. This includes building technical expertise in collaboration with Sokoine University – empowering female trainees to support project implementation, energy audits and monitoring activities.

What's next for Carbon Credits Tanzania?

Carbon Credits Tanzania is in its early pilot stage, aiming to reach 50 schools through its sprint. On average, electric pressure cookers work effectively more than 75 percent of the time and can save at least 20 percent of the cost of cooking compared with baseline technologies, indicating potential for this project.

Meet the team

Raffaella Bellanca
Senior Energy for Food Security advisor global. WFP
Geoffrey Ndegwa
Energy for Food Security advisor Tanzania and southern Africa, WFP
Vera Kwara
Head of Nutrition and School Based Programmes, WFP
Mikael Melin
Head of People Centered Programmes, SE for All
Jee Hyun Nam
Clean cooking analyst, SE for All
Chifunhiro Mankhwazi
Youth analyst, SE for All
Last updated: 10/01/2025