When Esther’s phone buzzes with a “low gas” alert from the small sensor on her kitchen regulator, it is a reassurance. The message, generated by a digital system tied to her LPG cylinder, informs her that the gas in her cylinder is at 10 percent, allowing her to plan for its replacement.
This technology takes away the headache of running out of gas mid-cooking, a scenario that many are familiar with. It is an innovation that is emerging in pockets across Africa through smart technology applications and devices that are modernising how LPG is refilled, delivered, tracked, and paid for.
For decades, LPG adoption has been slow across the region. Many households still rely on biomass fuels such as wood, charcoal or cow dung, with all the health, environmental, and safety risks that entail. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), roughly four out of five households in sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to modern clean cooking fuels and technologies.
This scenario is changing, with 13 million people across sub-Saharan Africa gaining access to clean cooking annually, and 12 million acquiring LPG annually. In 2023 alone, total investment in clean cooking infrastructure rose to KES 87.2 billion(USD 675 million), nearly a 10 percent increase from the previous year, and most of that investment went into LPG-related distribution infrastructure.
The IEA’s modelling predicts that under a realistic “access-for-all” scenario, LPG will account for over 60 percent of the new clean-cooking access in Africa through 2040, with most of the remainder supplied by electricity or improved biomass stoves. However, switching millions of households to LPG is only meaningful if the cylinders, distribution and service are safe, reliable and trusted. That is where technology plays a crucial role.
Emerging digital tools such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, smart meters and remote telemetry are beginning to plug the safety and trust gaps in the LPG value chain. In technical research contexts, smart-meter systems have proven capable of real-time monitoring of LPG or CO gas concentrations and alerting to leaks or dangerous gas accumulations. In regions where these technologies are paired with disciplined distribution and maintenance, they offer a path to much safer use.
Pay-as-you-go (PayGo) LPG platforms combine sensor-fitted cylinders with mobile payments and on-demand delivery. Customers pay small amounts according to their budget and receive cylinders topped up as needed, monitored by digital meters. While there is limited published data measuring leak rates or accident reductions tied specifically to these systems in Africa, the conceptual advantage is clear. Households no longer rely on informal refilling or unverified cylinder sellers, both of which are among the leading causes of LPG-related accidents.
Beyond safety, traceability is gaining ground. Digital tagging (QR codes, Radio Frequency Identification Tags) and registry systems let suppliers track each cylinder’s history such as refill cycles, maintenance records and movement across distribution chains. This can significantly curb the circulation of counterfeit or dangerously worn-out cylinders, a long-standing safety concern in many LPG markets.
Take Kenya as a focal example. Historically, a large share of households depended on biomass. A 2025 national survey by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) reports that 41% of Kenyan households overall now use firewood as their main cooking fuel. The survey also indicates that about 66% of urban households reportedly use LPG as their primary cooking fuel, versus only 23% of rural households, with uptake even higher (89%) among urban high-income families.
According to the Energy and Petroleum Bi-annual Statistics Report, LPG consumption increased by 15% in 2024, rising from 360,594 metric tonnes in 2023 to 414,861 metric tonnes in 2024. Per-capita consumption also grew, reaching 7.9 kg per person, the highest ever recorded in the country. This upward trend reflects growing household adoption, improved supply chains and potentially rising trust in LPG as a viable, safe and dependable cooking fuel.
LPG, combined with IoT-based monitoring, digital track-and-trace, mobile payments and efficient delivery systems, is emerging not just as a fuel, but as a service. A service built on transparency, accountability and continuous oversight. If policymakers, suppliers and innovators maintain the momentum through scaling access, lowering costs, tightening regulation and expanding data collection, tomorrow’s clean-cooking household may be safer, healthier and more trusting than ever before.
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By Dorcas Isaboke-Aloo