Ben Odongo: How Youth Engagement Accelerates Clean Cooking Access
Ben Odongo is the Business Lead for Electric Cooking at UpEnergy Group, an impact organization that builds platforms to reach low-income clients while enabling access to technologies that benefit income, health, and decarbonization efforts. In his role, he develops and implements strategies to accelerate access to electric cooking solutions.
The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) spoke to Odongo about his experiences, achievements, and lessons learned as a youth leader in the clean cooking sector.
This story is part of a series featuring youth leaders from across the clean cooking sector.
CCA: What motivates you to work towards improving access to clean cooking?
Odongo: Through my work, I have witnessed firsthand how access to clean cooking solutions can change people’s lives for the better, particularly in developing countries where harmful cooking methods are still prevalent. I have heard countless stories of families reducing their fuel consumption by up to 50%, leading to significant cost savings, and improving indoor air quality, which has a direct impact on their health.
If we lived in a world where 2.6 billion people are no longer forced to cook with polluting fuels, 3.2 million lives would be saved each year, and almost 2 gigatons of CO2 emissions avoided. This scale of impact motivates me every day to work towards a cleaner and more sustainable future for all.
CCA: What current obstacles are youth facing in terms of meaningfully engaging with clean cooking and adjacent sectors?
Odongo: Youth programs still offer limited financial support, often less than US $5,000, making it difficult for young people to scale up their enterprises. We need to move beyond tokenism and harness youth enthusiasm, passion, ideas, and solutions to fight climate change and increase access to clean cooking.
CCA: What training opportunities are necessary for empowering youth to meaningfully engage in the clean cooking sector?
Odongo: I believe there are four training areas that would empower youth in clean cooking:
- Technical skills: Training in the design, manufacturing, and maintenance of clean cooking technologies.
- Business skills: Training in financial management, marketing, and sales, as well as how to develop a business plan and access financing, for example, through carbon markets.
- Leadership and advocacy skills: Fostering collaborative skills, public engagement, and advocacy.
- Health and safety: Training on health and safety risks associated with traditional cooking practices.
CCA: Why is it important to involve youth in multi-stakeholder and intergenerational dialogues and decision-making processes?
Odongo: We are experiencing the largest generation of young people in history, with 1.8 billion worldwide. This demographic is particularly significant in developing countries, where young people make up a large proportion of the population. For instance, in Uganda, where 90% of households use firewood and charcoal as their primary cooking fuel, 78% of the population is below the age of 35. Because youth make up a significant portion of the global population, our voices must be included.
CCA: What three pieces of advice would you give to youth in clean cooking?
Odongo: For me, each career transition I made was about dreaming big and challenging myself to push beyond my limits. As I have progressed in my career, it has been very much about finding a role where I can make the biggest impact.
When it comes to giving advice to other young people, I always think of three things:
- The importance of continuous learning. To keep up with the fast-paced world, you must continuously learn and develop new skills. This means being proactive in seeking out opportunities and embracing new experiences.
- The power of building strong networks. It’s essential to invest time and effort into cultivating strong professional relationships and networks.
- Focus on making a positive impact. As you progress in your career, consider where and how you can make the most impact and use your strengths to achieve it.
