115,000 ECOA induction cookers will be distributed to households across Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda with support from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa..Photo from AfDB
In a decisive move to reduce charcoal reliance and accelerate the adoption of clean cooking technologies, the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), has approved a $4 million reimbursable grant to support the Burn Electric Cooking Expansion Program (BEEP).
The initiative targets low-income, grid-connected households in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia, aiming to distribute 115,000 energy-efficient induction cookers and shift communities away from polluting cooking fuels.
BEEP is being implemented by BURN, a Kenya-based clean cookstove manufacturer and carbon project developer with operations in more than ten African countries.
Through the program, BURN will pre-finance the production and distribution of its ECOA Electric Induction Cookers and recover costs via carbon credit revenues from the voluntary market.
The model blends carbon-backed subsidies with flexible payment plans, making it significantly easier for low-income households to transition to electric cooking.
“We are honoured to receive this catalytic investment from the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa—their first-ever investment in carbon projects focused on electric cooking,” said Peter Scott, Founder and CEO of BURN.
“This milestone enables BURN to rapidly scale our IoT-enabled induction stove across Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia, providing low-income households with a zero-emission, digitally monitored alternative to charcoal and wood.”
The program is capitalised through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with a total funding package of $10 million: a $5 million senior loan from the Spark+ Africa Fund, a $4 million reimbursable grant from SEFA, and $1 million in equity from BURN Manufacturing Company.
The SPV will oversee sales, distribution, and servicing, while also managing the carbon asset generation process.
Revenues from carbon credits, which will be owned by the SPV, will be shared among the program’s investors.
Dr. Daniel Schroth, Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the African Development Bank Group, noted that the initiative is a landmark for the institution.
“This marks the Bank’s first carbon finance transaction of its kind, with SEFA playing a critical role in mitigating carbon market risks and enhancing the Program’s financial sustainability.”
The program directly supports SEFA’s broader goals under its Energy Efficiency thematic area, which seeks to catalyse private sector investments in efficient appliances and contribute to the scale-up of clean cooking solutions across the continent.
It also aligns with AfDB’s New Deal on Energy for Africa, which aims to ensure universal access to modern energy services, and complements the Mission 300 initiative, which seeks to accelerate access to clean cooking for 300 million Africans by 2030.
Context: Rising Attention to Air Quality
The launch of BEEP comes at a time when air quality is rising sharply on the policy agenda across Africa.
During the Science-Policy Practitioners Dialogue on Air Pollution and Early Warning for Africa, held in Nairobi on July 21, 2025, government agencies, scientists, and development partners gathered to explore integrated responses to urban air pollution.
The Dialogue emphasised the urgent need for scalable, data-driven interventions to address worsening air quality in African cities where residential cooking remains one of the leading sources of indoor and ambient air pollution.
It recognised that promoting electric cooking in grid-connected households represents a viable and immediate pathway to reduce harmful emissions, especially in urban and peri-urban settings where electricity is increasingly available.
Charcoal and firewood use not only contributes to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, but also exposes users, mostly women and children, to harmful levels of indoor smoke.
This increased their risk of respiratory infections, cardiovascular diseases, and other non-communicable illnesses.
Just days before the dialogue, the CLEAN-Air Forum 202 was also held in Nairobi from July 15–17, where over 300 experts, policymakers, and community advocates convened under the theme “Partnerships for Clean Air Solutions.”
The forum also spotlighted the urgency of reducing air pollution across African cities, with household energy use, particularly charcoal and wood combustion, highlighted as a major contributor to poor air quality and respiratory illness.
With the World Health Organization (WHO) attributing over 600,000 premature deaths annually in Africa to household air pollution, mostly from traditional biomass cooking, BEEP’s focus on shifting households to electric induction stoves addresses both health and environmental concerns.
Leveraging Carbon Finance for Climate and Development Impact
BEEP’s financial model is innovative in how it leverages carbon markets to support climate mitigation and development goals.
The program monetises the emissions avoided through reduced charcoal use by generating carbon credits certified under voluntary standards.
These credits are then sold on the global carbon market, with proceeds reinvested to lower the cost of the cookers for end-users.
This approach addresses one of the key barriers to adoption of electric cooking—high upfront costs—while also creating a sustainable financing mechanism to support long-term scale-up.
By integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technology into the cookers, BURN can monitor usage in real-time, verify impact, and streamline the carbon crediting process.
This results-based financing model is also aligned with growing global interest in high-integrity carbon projects that deliver measurable social and environmental co-benefits.
It positions BEEP as a demonstration of how climate finance can be directed toward inclusive energy access and sustainable development, particularly in Africa’s rapidly urbanising and energy-constrained regions.
A Broader Contribution to Just Energy Transitions
In addition to reducing pollution, the BEEP initiative supports job creation and strengthens local manufacturing and supply chains.
BURN manufactures its stoves locally in Kenya, with plans to expand distribution networks and after-sales service teams in Uganda and Zambia.
This localised value chain not only improves product accessibility and affordability but also creates employment opportunities along the clean energy ecosystem.
Furthermore, the program is well aligned with the objectives of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
By helping to phase out charcoal, a fuel source still used by more than 70% of households in sub-Saharan Africa, the program contributes meaningfully to long-term climate resilience and environmental protection.
As countries revise their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, clean cooking is gaining prominence as a sector where tangible, quantifiable emissions reductions can be achieved at scale.
Looking Ahead
As Africa grapples with the dual challenges of energy poverty and climate vulnerability, programs like BEEP illustrate the potential of integrated solutions that combine technology, finance, and policy alignment.
The African Development Bank’s investment via SEFA represents not only a commitment to clean cooking but also a shift toward more innovative, results-based climate finance mechanisms.
The success of BEEP in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia could serve as a blueprint for similar interventions in other countries, particularly those with growing access to electricity and an urgent need to reduce charcoal dependence.
It also adds momentum to the emerging movement for clean air and healthy cities across Africa, demonstrating that with the right partnerships, cleaner, safer cooking can be within reach for millions.
