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26 November 2025

How the 2025 G20 South Africa Leaders’ Declaration Supports LPG for Clean Cooking in Africa

WLGA Briefing Note – 26th November 2025

How the 2025 G20 South Africa Leaders’ Declaration Supports LPG for Clean Cooking in Africa

Overview

The 2025 G20 Leaders’ Declaration provides the strongest political recognition to date of the clean-cooking crisis in Africa and for the first time explicitly includes LPG as a clean-cooking fuel within its new global action framework. This creates a major opportunity for WLGA to anchor LPG in clean-cooking policy, financing, and development pathways across the continent. 

1. Explicit Recognition of LPG as a Clean-Cooking Fuel

The Declaration directly names LPG:

“…development and deployment of accessible and affordable clean cooking technologies, infrastructure and fuels including but not limited to LPG.”
(Para 28, Leaders’ Declaration)

This reference sits within the Voluntary Infrastructure Investment Action Plan to Accelerate the Deployment of Clean Cooking Solutions and amounts to an official G20 endorsement of LPG as a legitimate, scalable clean-cooking solution. 

2. Clear Emphasis on Africa’s Clean-Cooking Crisis

The Declaration highlights the scale of the challenge:

  • 1 billion Africans lack access to clean cooking.
  • Almost 2 million Africans die every year due to lack of clean cooking fuels.
    (Para 23)

This creates a powerful factual baseline for WLGA advocacy and strongly positions clean cooking as a public-health and development emergency. 

3. Strong Policy Mandate for LPG Expansion

Several commitments in the Declaration directly support LPG deployment:

a. Technology-neutral transitions

The G20 endorses diverse pathways for just and inclusive energy transitions, avoiding prescriptions that could marginalise LPG.

b. Focus on affordability and access

Energy security and affordability for households are repeatedly emphasised, reinforcing LPG’s role as a reliable, accessible solution.

c. Enabling policy and regulatory environments

The clean-cooking action plan calls for reforms that support investment in fuels, infrastructure and last-mile distribution – all critical for LPG market development.

d. Support for decentralised solutions

Recognition of decentralised energy systems aligns with community-level LPG distribution models. 

4. Financing Signals Relevant to LPG

A number of G20 commitments provide financial hooks for LPG expansion:

  • Promotion of concessional finance, risk-mitigation, and blended finance for clean-energy transitions.
  • Strong support for quality infrastructure investment (Para 63).
  • Recognition that developing countries need scaled-up investment and enabling conditions to meet energy-access goals.

These commit major development banks and donors to support the types of infrastructure LPG requires - from import terminals and storage to cylinders, micro-distribution, and appliances. 

5. Strategic Implications for WLGA

The Declaration strengthens WLGA’s advocacy narrative:

  • LPG is now explicitly positioned within the G20’s global clean-cooking framework.
  • Africa’s mortality and access crisis is acknowledged at the highest political level.
  • LPG aligns with G20 priorities on energy security, affordability, just transitions, and inclusive development.
  • The Action Plan provides a direct entry point for WLGA to influence governments, Development Banks, and donors.

Download the G20 declaration in support of LPG