Distinguished delegates, industry leaders, partners, and colleagues, good morning.

Not long ago, I was in KwaZamokuhle just outside Hendrina, where households received clean cooking home packs as part of South Africa’s transition efforts.

It is a community that sits at the heart of our energy economy, surrounded by power stations, mining activity, and heavy industry.

And yet, in many homes there, families are still cooking with coal, wood, or paraffin.

Not because energy is unavailable, but because it is unaffordable.

That reality is not unique to one community. It is repeated across our continent.

In townships, informal settlements, and in rural villages, millions of households are still making the same daily calculation. Between cost, safety, and putting food on the table.

For them, energy is not a policy discussion. It is a question of survival and dignity.

And that raises a simple but uncomfortable question for all of us.

Are we actually solving the problem we say we are solving?

This conference has rightly focused on infrastructure, supply, investment, and market growth.

All of those matter.

But for millions of households across Africa, the challenge is not whether LPG exists in the system. The challenge is whether it is accessible, affordable, and practical in their homes.

That is where we need to focus our attention today.

If we are honest, the LPG sector is not struggling with a lack of potential. The fundamentals are strong. Demand is growing. Investment interest is rising. Technology is proven.

But adoption at household level is still too slow.

And that tells us something important.

This is not a supply problem. It is an access and affordability problem. And in many cases, it is a last-mile problem.

Because even where LPG is available in the market, the barriers at household level remain significant.

The upfront cost of cylinders, appliances, and refills remains out of reach for many families.

Distribution networks often do not extend far enough into informal or underserved areas.

And small-scale operators, who are critical to last-mile delivery, are not always supported or enabled to grow.

These are not abstract challenges. They are practical constraints that determine whether a household makes the switch or not.

If we are serious about scaling LPG, we must focus on removing these barriers.

First, we must address affordability in a meaningful way.

For many households, the issue is not the long-term cost of LPG. It is the upfront cost of entry.

That is why programmes that reduce or remove this barrier matter. Whether through starter packs, financing models, or pay-as-you-go systems.

We need to make it easier for households to take that first step.

Next, we must strengthen last-mile distribution.

Large infrastructure investments are important, but they do not solve the final step between the depot and the household.

That step is often carried by small businesses, local distributors, and informal networks.

If we want to scale access, we must support them. With training, with access to finance, and with regulatory frameworks that enable rather than constrain.

Then, we must ensure that safety and standards remain non-negotiable.

As LPG adoption grows, so too must our commitment to safe handling, compliant equipment, and proper training.

Trust is critical.

Households must feel confident that LPG is not only affordable, but safe and reliable.

And that requires consistent standards, enforcement, and education across the value chain.

Finally, we must align policy with reality.

There is no single model that will work everywhere. Each community requires its- own unique approach.

Policy must be flexible enough to respond to local conditions, while still providing certainty to investors and operators.

It must enable innovation, not slow it down.

And it must recognise that progress often happens gradually, not all at once.

As government, our role is clear. We must create an enabling environment for the LPG market to grow.

We must provide policy certainty and clarity, and support infrastructure development where it is needed.

And we must work in partnership with industry, not in opposition to it.

Because the scale of the challenge we face requires collaboration.

It requires government, industry, financiers, and communities to move in the same direction.

We also need to be clear about where LPG fits within the broader energy transition.

LPG is not the only solution, but it is one of the most practical and immediate tools available to us today.

It reduces indoor air pollution. It improves health outcomes. It reduces pressure on electricity systems. And it provides a viable alternative to more harmful fuels.

But we should pause on that point for a moment.

Because when we speak about clean cooking, we are not only speaking about energy.

We are speaking about health.

Across Africa, millions of households are still exposed to harmful indoor air pollution every single day. Smoke-filled kitchens are not just uncomfortable. They are dangerous.

They affect respiratory health. They impact children and the elderly the most. And they place a quiet but significant burden on already stretched health systems.

We are also speaking about time.

In many households, particularly for women, hours are spent collecting fuel, managing inefficient cooking methods, and working around unreliable energy sources.

Clean cooking changes that. It gives back time. Time that can be spent on income-generating activities, on education, or simply on rest.

And we are speaking about safety.

Paraffin, open fires, and unsafe alternatives come with real risks. Fires, burns, and accidents that can have devastating consequences for families.

So when we say that LPG improves quality of life, we must understand what that really means.

It means cleaner air in the home. It means safer kitchens. It means more time, more opportunity, and more dignity.

That is the impact we are working towards.

LPG is not the only solution, and it should not be seen as one.

But it is one of the most practical and immediate tools available to us today, particularly in communities where alternatives are limited or not yet viable at scale.

It offers a way to reduce harmful indoor air pollution, improve health outcomes, and provide a safer and more reliable alternative to traditional fuels.

In that sense, LPG plays an important role within a broader clean cooking ecosystem.

One that must remain flexible, responsive, and grounded in the realities of different communities.

And within that broader system, the real question is not whether solutions exist, but how quickly we can make them work at scale.

In a continent where time matters, we cannot afford to wait for conditions to be perfect before we act.

We need to scale what works, build on what has already been tested, and move with greater urgency from pilot projects to real implementation.

Because households do not experience energy transition in phases or strategies.

They experience it in their kitchens, in their daily routines, and in the decisions they make every day.

That is where success will be measured.

If LPG can work for a household in KwaZamokuhle, then it must be able to work for households across our continent. Not in theory, but in practice.

That is the standard we should hold ourselves to.

And it is also the opportunity before us.

To move beyond discussion and focus on delivery. To ensure that the growth of this sector translates into real, tangible improvements in people’s lives.

So let us use today not only to exchange ideas, but to sharpen our focus on what needs to happen next.

Let us scale what is working. Let us fix what is not. And let us move faster, together.

Because the success of the energy transition will not be decided in conference halls. It will be decided in homes.

Homes like those in KwaZamokuhle, others across South Africa and those across our continent.

That is where the future of this sector will be built. And that is where it must succeed.

I thank you.