Mass use of cooking gas will remove regional inequalities

Anchilo (Mozambique), 3 Abr (AIM) – President Filipe Nyusi has stressed that the mass use of cooking gas will not only remove regional asymmetries but also change the mindset of many citizens who might see this energy source as a luxury product.

Addressing the launch on 2 April of the “National Programme of Mass Use of Cooking Gas” in the administrative post of Anchilo, about 25 kilometres from the northern city of Nampula city, President Nyusi said that it is a long term programme of the country’s sovereignty.

“Nowadays, the consumption of cooking gas has a very limited expression within the country’s energy mix and is geographically limited to the southern region, posing not only regional inequality but also a deficit of supply,” the President pointed out.

Mozambique’s annual cooking gas consumption, President Nyusi added, is nearly 44,000 tonnes with an average per capita consumption of 1.4 kilos every year. The launch of the programme has, as its medium and long term goals, the country’s sovereignty in the production and development of a value chain.

The milestone, President Nyusi emphasised, will also answer the increasing demand for the consumption of energy products within the domestic market.

“We want to set up a national movement which will adopt cooking gas as a healthy and eco-friendly fuel and ensure that it is accessible to every Mozambican,” President Nyusi stated. He added that a great many Mozambicans share a feeling of great joy, as they expect to improve their living standards, especially for women who are in charge of multiple domestic duties.

On a daily basis, in the rural areas where most of the Mozambicans live, before they can put the cooking pan over the fire, the women have to set off into the bush in search of firewood and lately they also have to produce charcoal for domestic use and income generation.

However, President Nyusi said that implementation of the new cooking gas infrastructure will add value to the product, boost social well-being, especially for women, and promote greater inclusiveness.
(AIM)