This is the third in a three-part series exploring the setbacks of transitioning from wood to LPG in the town of Mbalmayo.
After listening to the cooks, immersing ourselves in their daily lives, and gathering expert analyses on the health risks associated with household air pollution, it’s time to take stock: where does the Gas Master Plan stand? What are its impacts, its limitations, and above all, what needs to change to improve respiratory health in homes in Mbalmayo, and in Cameroon as a whole?
An ambitious Gas Master Plan, noticeable progress… but still not enough
Launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Water and Energy (MINEE) in partnership with the Global LPG Partnership (GLPGP), the Gas Master Plan aimed to democratize the use of LPG in Cameroonian households. A commendable ambition to reduce the harmful effects of indoor air pollution and improve living conditions, especially for women.
Some results are encouraging. The GLPGP report shared by Director Bessem highlighted the following achievements:
- 373 wholesalers trained in best practices for LPG distribution and certified, particularly in safety and profitability, mainly in Yaoundé, Douala, Ngaoundéré, and Bafoussam.
- 24 women entrepreneurs supported in launching LPG distribution depots.
- Microfinance and awareness campaigns deployed in six regions: In 2020, large-scale demonstration campaigns were carried out to promote LPG use. Beneficiaries received complete kits (stove, bottle, regulator, hose, and LPG), along with educational materials such as safety tip calendars and a dedicated helpline. CLEAN-Air (Africa) was one of the initiative’s partners. MINEE is considering integrating this program into its annual strategy, subject to additional funding.
- A 119% increase in LPG consumption between 2015 and 2023, with over 5,000 new clients created through microloans from local financial institutions and banks. This initiative, supported by LPG distributors and retailers, was accompanied by sustained marketing efforts, including outdoor demonstrations to inform communities about the benefits and safety of LPG.
Overall, LPG consumption has risen across the country, although, according to MINEE sources, available figures include both household and industrial use.
Yet this growth remains below the plan’s targets, which still require an additional 85% increase to be fully met. And behind these numbers lie deep inequalities.
Mbalmayo: A case study in the model’s Limitations
In Mbalmayo, the reality is more complex. While the official price for a 12.5 kg LPG bottle is set at 6,500 FCFA, households interviewed reported paying up to 7,500 FCFA. This price difference stems from the lack of a cost equalization mechanism for transport, a measure that was recommended in the Master Plan.
Indeed, according to the GLPGP report, the government-set price cap of 6,500 FCFA for a 12.5 kg domestic LPG bottle is effectively upheld only in large cities with refilling stations operated by the Cameroon Petroleum Depot Company (SCDP), such as Douala, Yaoundé, Bafoussam, Ngaoundéré, Maroua, Ndoumbi, and Garoua. Outside of these areas, smaller or more remote localities face price hikes primarily due to transport costs, estimated at 117.4 FCFA per ton per kilometer from the nearest depot.
The result? 129 localities in Cameroon bear an unjustified surcharge, hindering the widespread adoption of LPG.
Another major limitation: the lack of impact evaluations following the implementation of the guidelines.
While actions have indeed been initiated, their actual effectiveness remains difficult to assess due to the lack of rigorous field monitoring. The GLPGP report acknowledges this: access to LPG is still limited, largely due to insufficient investment in storage, distribution infrastructure, and the availability of appropriately sized LPG cylinders.
However, studies are reportedly underway to assess the evolution of the number of LPG cylinders introduced into the market since the launch of the Master Plan in 2018. These could help provide a clearer picture of the progress made and the areas that remain underserved.
Reminder of the three major barriers to the transition from wood to LPG in Mbalmayo
In our first series, households in Mbalmayo shared with us three major obstacles in their transition to LPG:
- The price of LPG: too high for the interviewed households.
- Cultural attachment to the taste of firewood, seen as irreplaceable in cooking traditional dishes.
- Incompatibility of LPG stoves with local wide-bottomed pots.
The Master Plan has made efforts to address the first challenge, but the other two appear to have received less attention in terms of priority. However, they are equally important if we are to achieve lasting change in practices.
What solutions for Mbalmayo’s population challenges to achieve better respiratory health at home?
The cost challenge: A price kept stable… thanks to a discreet but essential strategy
In Mbalmayo, as in many rural areas of Cameroon, the cost of domestic LPG remains a daily challenge. Yet, behind the official price of 6,500 FCFA for a 12.5 kg bottle lies a significant effort by the state to maintain some semblance of economic and social balance. For over eight years, this price has remained surprisingly stable, despite two successive fuel price hikes between 2023 and 2024, as informed by the Gas Sub-Directorate at MINEE.
This price freeze is not a coincidence. It is made possible through the intervention of the Hydrocarbon Price Stabilization Fund (CSPH), which covers a significant portion of the actual cost. According to an article published in EcoMatin on February 7, 2024, in 2022, the Cameroonian state subsidized 4,713 FCFA per bottle sold. This budgetary effort helps cushion the blow for households… even though, on the ground, many feel the price is still too high.
Financing widespread access to LPG
Beyond price regulation, another solution is emerging strongly: multiplying microfinance initiatives dedicated to LPG. The goal is to expand these initiatives, which started in the Master Plan, but have only reached 6 out of the 10 regions in the country. Expanding the mechanism for low-interest loans, often in partnership with local banks, to allow families to acquire LPG bottles, stoves, and essential accessories with flexible, extended repayment terms is a prospect that could significantly accelerate the “flame change” on a larger scale.
This approach represents much more than just economic support: it is a stepping stone toward a fair and equitable energy transition. For the most modest households, often forced to use wood or charcoal at the risk of their health, these mechanisms open the door to a healthier and more dignified daily life.
Towards Price harmonization: the issue of territorial equity
While microfinance initiatives help reduce the upfront cost of acquiring clean cooking appliances, ensuring territorial equity remains essential for managing daily fuel expenses. In the long term, the effective implementation of a transport cost equalization system appears as an urgent necessity, as recommended by the GLPGP. Even today, rural areas pay the price for their isolation: in Mbalmayo, the actual price of a LPG bottle can increase by an additional 1,000 FCFA due to logistical costs. This is an obvious injustice that only a rigorously applied compensation policy could correct. Harmonizing prices is not just a matter of numbers: it is about guaranteeing every Cameroonian, no matter where they live, a fundamental right to clean and accessible energy.
The taste Challenge: Changing habits, step by step
In Mbalmayo, as elsewhere, the taste of food cooked over firewood remains deeply rooted in culinary habits. This familiar taste, often associated with childhood memories, becomes a major barrier to adopting clean fuels. As Dr. Sola Olopade, a pulmonologist and specialist in the links between health and air pollution, reminds us, education and awareness are key levers for a sustainable energy transition.
“Even when clean stoves are given away for free, people continue what we call ‘stove stacking.’ They still use other devices they prefer, because of the taste or habits. We need to educate, inform, involve. Otherwise, people make decisions they think are right without knowing the impacts on their health or life expectancy,” he says.
He strongly adds: “You need to decide if the smoke is more important than the cost of your life, your children’s lives, and your future.”
This can only be achieved through awareness led by all stakeholders involved in the fight against this scourge.
Changing mindsets cannot be decreed. It requires time, empathy, and close support. As Mark Twain rightly said: “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs one step at a time.” As you have said, change will be achieved through consistent messaging and engagement. Therefore, the goal is to gradually support the population through awareness, encouraging them to shift from the taste component in favor of their health.
CLEAN-Air (Africa), a Committed project for awareness in Mbalmayo
This educational work is at the heart of the priorities of the CLEAN-Air (Africa) project in Cameroon. During our interview, Professor Mbatchou, the principal investigator of the project in Cameroon, expressed CLEAN-Air (Africa)’s desire to introduce household air pollution awareness into the training curriculum for community health workers at the Community Health Worker Training School of Mbalmayo, and in the long term across the entire country:
“Another aspect of the project is the capacity building of community health workers in educating the population. That is why we have a module on training community health workers on the cause, effects, and prevention strategy from household air pollution. Knowing that community health workers, who are very close to the population, will play a crucial role in relaying the information through sensitization. Communities should be aware of the risks they face when using these fuels to make informed choices,” said Professor Mbatchou.
With the community health worker training school based in Mbalmayo, the project plans a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Health (MINESANTE) to sustainably integrate this theme into the national curriculum.
This module is inspired by the Community Household Air Pollution Prevention Programme (CHAP-PP) designed by CLEAN-Air (Africa), which was already integrated into the official community health worker training program in Kenya in 2021 and is now being adopted in Rwanda, another partner of CLEAN-Air (Africa).
The program covers several essential components:
- The use of household energy,
- The effects of indoor air pollution on health,
- Prevention strategies,
- Educational tools adapted to the Cameroonian context (illustrations, photos, videos, flipchart, maps).
By providing community health workers with these resources, CLEAN-Air (Africa) aims to help households make an informed choice between taste and health, between habit and life.
As Dr Sola said: “If you explain to a mother that her household pollution can harm her child’s intellectual development, cause strokes, or heart attacks, then she can make an informed choice. But that requires a strong public policy and massive investment in community education
The Challenge related to infrastructure: The incompatibility of large pots with LPG burners
Among the obstacles raised by the women of Mbalmayo, a seemingly technical detail turned out to be a real bottleneck: the incompatibility of large traditional pots with LPG burners.
In households where food is often prepared for large families or even for commercial activities, these wide pots are essential. But on the LPG burners currently available on the market, which are often much smaller, they don’t fit well, or sometimes not at all. The result: frustration, disinterest, and a return to old habits.
During our conversation, this feedback from the field immediately caught the attention of Mrs. Bessem Enonchong, Regional Director of the Global LPG Program (GLPG) for Central Africa :
“I am glad that you brought that up, because one of the areas that I have identified as key if we need to expand is the stove… We cannot expand if that issue is not solved,” she said
This is not the first time she has heard this type of feedback. During her previous missions, the women cooks she interacted with had already raised this recurring issue. For her, this logistical barrier must become a priority in future funding programs.
“It is possible,” she says, “and I was talking to the people from the Ministry of Mines and Technological Development on how we could look for local producers who can produce those stoves locally, because it is just metal.”
A local solution for a local need
The idea is as simple as it is effective: promote the local production of stove that are suited to the pots used in Cameroon. By focusing on local artisans or SMEs, it would be possible to design larger, more stable stoves that are better suited to the country’s culinary practices.
Today, some aspects of the Gas Master Plan are on hold due to lack of funding. However, both the Ministry of Water and Energy (MINEE) and GLPG are seeking partnerships and investments to revive this initiative.
And Mrs. Bessem is clear:
“If we have to expand the financing of the LPG program, we need to find an alternative to the LPG stove. We cannot use the stoves in the market because they are not adapted.”
She summarizes the logic of a successful LPG deployment in one powerful powerfully-expressed call to action:
“LPG adoption is possible when we meet users’ needs. Last-mile consumers want a hassle-free cooking experience, which is easier when LPG stoves fit their pot sizes. Simple, user-friendly solutions can make a big difference. We call on investors, manufacturers, and innovators to explore this niche for Cameroon and Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Fueling Change: Key takeaways for effective action
As we approach the conclusion of this article, and consequently the end of this trilogy, let us take a moment to reflect on the key insights drawn throughout the series.
These takeaways encapsulate the crucial challenges, proposed solutions, and necessary actions required to ensure the change of flame in Mbalmayo, and Cameroon.
A Transition from wood to LPG grounded in Reality
To conclude this trilogy on the transition from wood to LPG in Mbalmayo, it is essential to emphasize that while the road to a cleaner and healthier energy future is paved with obstacles, it is also rich with opportunities.
The Master Plan has undeniably marked significant progress, but the reality on the ground is far from straightforward.
Gas prices, deeply rooted cultural habits, and technical challenges related to cooking equipment remain major barriers.
It is clear that a simple change of fuel will not suffice to transform millennia-old cooking practices. A gentle yet determined transition emerges as a crucial key to fostering sustainable LPG adoption. Awareness initiatives led by CLEAN-Air(Africa), the engagement of community workers, and investment in locally adapted solutions such as cookstoves designed to fit traditional pots , are vital levers in overcoming resistance. Yet this change of flame can only be truly effective and equitable if sustained efforts are made. Price harmonization, extension of LPG microfinance programs, rigorous monitoring of environmental and health impacts, and ongoing adaptation to community realities are prerequisites to ensure that every household, whether urban or rural, can benefit from cleaner air and a healthier living environment. Mbalmayo, in many ways, reflects the broader challenges and emerging solutions across Africa. It is with the conviction It is with the conviction that a true shift in cooking practices — a real change of flame — can arise from everyday needs, from the voices of those living through this transition, and from the joint efforts of all stakeholders.
The Flame of Change: Can multiple solutions light the way? Let’s broaden the conversation.
Cameroon recently took a bold step by exempting solar energy equipment from taxes ; a measure included in the 2024 Finance Law that reflects strong political will in favour of renewable energy.
So, why choose only one path when multiple strategies can coexist?
What if LPG and solar together became the twin pillars of an inclusive energy transition?
The future of clean cooking could lie in hybrid solutions, combining LPG and solar energy particularly through improved cookstoves designed and produced locally. In Mbalmayo and Cameroon in general, where sunshine is abundant, the potential is immense.
Let’s broaden the conversation…
