Malawi’s Energy Dilemma: Can Alternative Cooking Fuels Offset Traditional Charcoal Dependence?

Globally, an estimated 2.4 billion people rely on solid fuels such as firewood, charcoal, and agricultural residues for cooking, resulting in significant health, environmental, and climate impacts. In Sub-Saharan Africa, dependence on traditional biomass remains pervasive, and in Malawi, more than 97% of households continue to rely on biomass-based fuels for cooking. This persistent reliance highlights the urgency of accelerating transitions to cleaner and more sustainable cooking energy solutions. This study applies energy transition theory to examine Malawi’s continued dependence on traditional cooking fuels and to assess the prospects for adopting cleaner alternatives, including liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, sustainable charcoal, and briquettes. Using a mixed-methods approach, the analysis integrates household survey data, Consumer Market Research datasets, and qualitative interviews with supply-side actors and policymakers to explore household adoption patterns, supply-chain dynamics, and institutional constraints. The findings indicate that household economic capacity is a central determinant of clean fuel adoption, while limited physical availability and weak distribution networks reinforce continued reliance on biomass. Sociocultural norms and cooking practices further mediate household decision-making, influencing both fuel choice and technology uptake. Overall, the results suggest that clean cooking transitions in Malawi are shaped by interacting economic, infrastructural, and social factors rather than single constraints. Accelerating adoption therefore requires coordinated interventions that expand fuel accessibility, strengthen distribution systems, promote affordable financing mechanisms, and address sociocultural dimensions of cooking practices. The study highlights the importance of sustained private-sector engagement and supportive policy frameworks to advance Malawi’s transition toward cleaner and more sustainable cooking energy systems.