Nairobi: The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), is addressing charcoal reliance in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia with a $4 million reimbursable grant. This funding will support the Burn Electric Cooking Expansion Program (BEEP), which aims to distribute 115,000 Burn ECOA Electric Induction Cookers to low-income, grid-connected households that currently depend on charcoal.
According to African Press Organization, Burn, a clean cookstove company based in Kenya, will spearhead the BEEP initiative. Operating in over 10 African nations, Burn seeks to make clean cooking appliances more reachable by prefinancing induction cookers and recouping costs through carbon credit sales in the voluntary market. The program uniquely combines carbon-backed subsidies with pay-as-you-go payment plans, reducing initial costs for users.
Peter Scott, Founder and CEO of Burn, highlighted the significance of this investment, emphasizing the potential of electric cooking to be clean, affordable, and scalable. He expressed gratitude for SEFA's investment, which marks AfDB's first venture into carbon projects centered on electric cooking. The initiative aims to swiftly expand the IoT-enabled induction stoves across the three countries, offering low-income households a zero-emission, digitally monitored alternative to traditional fuels.
Besides environmental and health improvements, the program is expected to create jobs and strengthen local supply chains, contributing to a cleaner and more prosperous future for communities in the involved nations.