British taxpayers are spending a staggering £99million on encouraging families in Africa and Asia to cook using electricity.
More than £55million has already been paid out under the foreign aid programme that aims to improve health and the environment by persuading developing countries to move away from polluting firewood and charcoal.
But the Foreign Office recently agreed to almost double the budget of the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) project and keep it running until the end of the decade. Most of the cash is going to Loughborough University to carry out research into clean cooking, with 650 reports expected by 2030.
The academics have written ‘eCookbooks’ to show families how to make traditional dishes using electric appliances, as well as a ‘multi-dimensional framework to assess and monitor gender equality, equity and women’s empowerment’.
The Government is also paying for 20,000 electric pressure cookers to be handed out in Tanzania and Uganda, while a handful of air fryers have been given away in other countries.
Joanna Marchong, investigations campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, told the Mail: ‘Taxpayers will be furious at the frittering away of their cash on frivolous foreign aid projects.
‘Too many of these costly schemes look like little more than virtue-signalling exercises rather than genuine humanitarian assistance which saves lives.’
MECS is part of a massive £1billion of foreign aid money, known as the Ayrton Fund, set aside by the previous Conservative government to speed up the transition to ‘clean energy’ in the developing world.
British taxpayers are paying £99million to encourage families in Asia and Africa to cook using electricity to improve health and the environment
More than £55million has already been paid out under the foreign aid programme, for which the Foreign Office has already agreed to double the budget
The Government is also paying for 20,000 electric pressure cookers to be handed out in Tanzania and Uganda (file photo)
Until recently its budget was £55million but this was increased to £99million in February, with £39million of the new money expected to be spent on research and just £5million on ‘clean cooking demonstrators’. It is mainly targeting sub-Saharan Africa but also India.
However the future of the programme now hangs in the balance after Sir Keir Starmer announced the aid budget will be cut to pay for increased defence spending.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘The UK is taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA [Official Development Assistance] delivers value for money for the taxpayer. Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.’
Loughborough University said: ‘The university remains committed to the MECS project. At this stage, we have no information on whether cuts to UK Official Development Assistance will affect our programme moving forward.’
