Where we work and our projects
The MCFA programme is supporting clean cooking market development in seven Sub-Saharan African countries.
MCFA in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) is supporting projects in seven Sub-Saharan African countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe and currently has a portfolio of 11 projects.
MCFA projects under implementation
In the beneath table you can see an overview of all MCFA agreed projects by September 2024, which are under implementation in all seven project countries.
| Financed companies | Partners | Country | Technology | Number of contracted clean cooking services | Project description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lanforce Energy | Zimbabwe | Biogas | 6,131 | Lanforce Energy is one of the leading biogas companies in Zimbabwe offering biodigesters for households, farmers, entrepreneurs and institutions. | |
| BURN Manufacturing Kenya | BURN Manufacturing USA | Kenya | Electric | 130,000 | Under separate agreements with BURN subsidiaries in the respective countries, MCFA will provide up to EUR 10 million of results-based financing |
| BURN Manufacturing Mozambique | Mozambique | Electric | 66,666 | until 2027 to expand access in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. | |
| BURN Manufacturing RDC | DRC | Electric | 50,000 | With the support of MCFA, BURN is planning to establish up to 456,000 clean cooking services | |
| BURN Manufacturing TZ | Tanzania | Electric | 130,000 | and enhance its direct operational presence across the five targeted markets. | |
| BURN Manufacturing Zambia | Zambia | Electric | 80,000 | Over the course of the anticipated four-year implementation period, the expansion is expected to reach up to 2.28 million beneficiaries. | |
| Emerging Cooking Solutions | Zambia | Solid biofuels (pellets) | 28,666 | Emerging Cooking Solutions will offer to over 28,000 customers micro-gasification stoves together with its own SupaMoto pellets, made from timber mill off-cuts from managed forestry plantations, under a subscription-based utility model. | |
| ENGIE Energy Access Zambia | Good Farmland Management Kenya (Sistema.bio) | Zambia | Biogas | 2,392 | ENGIE Energy Access Zambia Limited has been operating in Zambia since 2017 with a focus on delivering off-grid solar home systems. With the EUR 1.2 million in results-based financing provided by MCFA, the company will leverage its extensive reach and Sistema.bio’s adaptable product range, to bring biodigesters to 2,400 households in Zambia. |
| ENGIE Energy Access Moçambique | Good Farmland Management Kenya (Sistema.bio) | Kenya | Biogas | 2,000 | ENGIE Energy Access Mozambique will provide its customers with innovative biodigesters that enable farmers to convert agricultural waste into biogas and fertiliser through a PAYGo business model. |
| Sayari Safi (UpEnergy Tanzania) | Tanzania | Electric | 123,250 | With the results-based financing provided from MCFA, UpEnergy Tanzania aims to scale up its distribution of electric cooking services across Tanzania in Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Morogoro, Mwanza and Pwani. The aim is to deploy over 123,000 PowerUp electric pressure cookers, which are expected to benefit over 600,000 Tanzanians. | |
| HomeBiogas | Kenya | Biogas | XX | HomeBiogas in Kenya will provide small-scale farmers in Kenya with its modular small-scale biogas systems. With the results-based financing provided by MCFA, the company aims to install 34,000 biogas systems to boost the company’s expansion in Western and Central Kenya. This will provide up to 170,000 farmers in Kenya with clean cooking solutions | |
| Better Cooking Company Limited | Kenya | Solid biofuels (pellets) | 25,000 | Better Cooking Company Limited, trading as EcoSafi, will provide Kenyans with efficient cooking stoves of their own design and a regular supply of pellet fuel made from agricultural waste. With the results-based financing provided by MCFA, the company aims to establish 25,000 sustainable clean cooking services in Kenya. This will provide up to 125,000 people in Kenya with access to clean cooking solutions. | |
| ACE Hybrid Energy Kenya Limited | Kenya | Solid biofuels (pellets) | 13,000 | ACE Hybrid Energy Kenya will sell its own-designed ACE One gasifier stoves to customers on Kenya’s Eastern coast. With the results-based financing provided by MCFA, the company aims to sell 13,000 stoves, which will provide up to 65,000 people in Kenya with clean cooking solutions. |
Current situation in all MCFA project countries
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with a population of 94.7 million people, has high poverty levels, leading to over-reliance on traditional cooking technologies, which limits the potential of clean cooking service companies to scale up. Nearly 96% of DRC households use traditional charcoal and firewood stoves for cooking. In general, few customers can afford clean cooking solutions, but with the expected rise in national average household expenditure, more households could afford at least basic, lower tier cooking solutions such as improved cookstoves. The country lacks a clear clean cooking policy, but initiatives are available that support the government’s policy development, which MCFA hopes to support and contribute to.
The available MCFA financing for projects to be implemented in DRC is EUR 3.4 million.
Kenya
Kenya has a population of 53.8 million people and is the most advanced country when it comes to the development of a clean cooking sector among the MCFA-supported countries. Kenya has made significant progress in promoting clean cooking technologies and solutions, but it still struggles with limited uptake. Theoretically, 60% of Kenya’s population could afford cleaner cooking technologies, such as lower tier cookstoves. However, at national level, approx. 20% of the population has access to higher tier 3+ cooking technologies but there are significant differences between rural and urban areas. Some 53% of the urban population, compared to less than 5% of the rural population, can afford a clean cookstove.
The available MCFA financing for projects to be implemented in Kenya is EUR 3.4 million.
Mozambique
There is very low access to available clean cooking technology in Mozambique, with only 5% of the population of 31.3 million people having access to clean cooking solutions. Higher tier cooking technologies remain unaffordable for many households and even improved cookstoves are too expensive for 40% of the population, about 12 million people. Electricity is used in 17% of urban households while solar power is used in only 0.5% of urban households.
The available MCFA financing for projects to be implemented in Mozambique is EUR 3.4 million.
Tanzania
In Tanzania, with a population of 59.7 million people, there is very low access to clean cooking technologies. Only 4% of the population used clean cooking technologies in 2019, being one of the countries with the least developed clean cooking sector compared to the other MFCA Programme countries. Currently, the most common and affordable technologies in Tanzania are improved cookstoves and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), being primary alternatives to charcoal and firewood. The government has introduced policies to impose VAT on charcoal use and eliminate the fuel levy on sustainable fuels, but Tanzania needs support to improve business growth in general as well as to develop a clean cooking sector.
The available MCFA financing for projects to be implemented in Tanzania is EUR 3.4 million.
Zambia
There are opportunities to increase access to modern cooking facilities in peri-urban and urban areas in Zambia, with a population of 18.4 million people. However, clean cooking solutions are not currently given sufficient attention in Zambia’s policy agenda and environmental and energy frameworks. Development partners are taking the lead in the sector, as unlicensed charcoal production remains a major source of employment. As of 2019, only 16% of the population had access to clean cooking solutions, driven by high electric cooking penetration relative to the rest of SSA. Traditional mud stoves, mbaulas, are used in many urban households. The factors limiting access to clean cooking services are affordability and awareness of the associated benefits. Charcoal remains a cheaper option to electricity and other cookstoves using sustainable fuels in the market.
The available MCFA financing for projects to be implemented in Zambia is EUR 13.8 million.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, with a population of 14.9 million people, 30% has access to clean cooking stoves. The relatively high access is driven by high electric cooking compared to the other MCFA countries, especially in urban areas. Rural households rely almost entirely on traditional biomass fuels with households using charcoal and firewood for cooking.
The high inflation rate and on-going economic crisis risk access to clean cooking technology if prices, such as electricity and food prices, continue increasing and the number of people living in extreme poverty rises. The National Renewable Energy Policy authority addresses interest in supporting the development of clean cooking solutions, including solar and biogas, in the country.
The available MCFA financing for projects to be implemented in Zimbabwe is EUR 3.4 million.