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The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa built a strong project portfolio during 2024
The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa’s (MCFA) Annual Results Report 2024 highlights initial results of efforts to accelerate access to clean cooking solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project portfolio was further developed during 2024, and the aim is to reach over 4 million people by 2029 through some 690,000 expected new clean cooking services to be established.
By the end of 2024, the MCFA programme had built a project portfolio of 13 companies, to which it has committed more than EUR 22.3 million in financing. Over EUR 5.7 million was disbursed to companies during 2024, mostly as catalytic grants. These portfolio companies are seeking to mobilise a further EUR 13.6 million in co-financing by the end of the programme implementation, reflecting the catalytic impact of the MCFA programme.
In 2024, around 18,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa gained access to clean cooking through approx. 3,000 initial clean cooking services provided by MCFA-financed companies.These companies also contributed to the establishment of over 200 new jobs and over 750 new sales agent positions.
“MCFA represents a joint effort to enhance access to modern energy, tackle energy poverty and address climate change through private sector collaboration. Sweden is proud to be a co-founder of MCFA and to work alongside the European Union and Norway in supporting this flagship initiative for clean cooking in Africa,” says Adam Öjdahl, Chair of the MCFA Steering Committee and Regional Energy & Environment Advisor at Sida – the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, based at the Swedish Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
The aim of the MCFA programme is to support companies to establish over 690,000 new clean cooking services by 2029, with the potential to reach in excess of 4 million people in seven Sub-Saharan African countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“By accelerating access to higher-tier clean cooking solutions, we are able to contribute to improving the health and well-being of women, increase climate action and support sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are very excited to further grow the project portfolio during 2025,” says Heli Sinkko, MCFA Fund Manager at Nefco.
During 2024, the final projects selected through the first funding round were contracted and the second funding round was concluded with the shortlisting of 12 new projects. After the final application stage closed in June, the final evaluation and due diligence stages were carried out in autumn 2024. The first companies selected through the second funding round are expected to be contracted during the second quarter of 2025.
The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) programme’s first Annual Results Report provides an overview of the current programme portfolio, initial results from 2024 and the programme targets, the MCFA financing and implementation approach, the monitoring, verification and reporting framework and feature stories from the first contracted companies.
For further information about the MCFA Annual Results Report 2024:
For further information, please contact:
Heli Sinkko, MCFA Fund Manager and Programme Manager at Nefco
heli.sinkko@nefco.int, +358 10 6180 659
Anna Turunen, Environmental & Sustainability Analyst at Nefco
anna.turunen@nefco.int, +358 10 6180 625
Lia Oker-Blom, Senior Communications Officer at Nefco
lia.oker-blom@nefco.int, +358 10 618 0671
About MCFA
The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa is a multi-donor facility established and managed by Nefco – the Nordic Green Bank – with the aim to support the development of new markets for the clean cooking sector and accelerate access to high-technology, modern and affordable cooking equipment for consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa, combining results-based financing with catalytic grant financing to companies active in the clean cooking market to grow and scale their businesses in the programme countries.
The overall aim of the MCFA programme is to provide access to clean cooking solutions for approximately 4 million Africans. The current EUR 61.5 million MCFA programme was announced in November 2021 and is funded by the European Union, Norway and Sweden. Read more on www.moderncooking.africa
About Nefco
Nefco – the Nordic Green Bank – is an international financial institution based in Helsinki, Finland, owned by the five Nordic countries. It focuses on environmental and climate investments and works with concrete actions to accelerate the green transition. Nefco also manages external funds in the climate and energy space. It is accredited by the European Union and the Green Climate Fund and is the Facility Manager for the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa, a EUR 126 million multi-donor results-based financing facility funded by Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden. Read more on www.nefco.int
Photo on cover: Woman in Zambia preparing food on a sustainable cookstove – Jason Mulikita for MCFA/Nefco
- Annual Results Report
- Clean Cooking