3 winners picked in USAID energy project - Capital Business
Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Kenya

3 winners picked in USAID energy project

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 27 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced three awards made through the Sh86.9 million fuel-efficient Cookstove distribution in Kenya Grants Competition, a component of USAID’s developing a Sustainable Cookstove Sector project.

The three competition winners were selected from among 43 proposals for their innovative solutions to overcome distribution and financing bottlenecks in the Kenyan cookstove sector.

The project supports the development of private sector-driven markets that will promote the widespread adoption of clean, efficient cooking solutions among the 2.8 billion people worldwide who lack modern cooking stoves and fuels.

“Creating commercially viable supply chains for fuel-efficient stoves is key to resolving distribution challenges and encouraging large-scale uptake of these devices,” USAID Assistant Administrator for Economic Growth, Education and Environment Eric Postel said.

The Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives (KUSCCO) will develop a cookstove-specific credit facility to be accessed by 1,350 Savings and Credit Cooperative (SACCO) societies to on-lend to individual members seeking to purchase cookstoves.

On the other hand Boma Safi Limited, a Kenyan woman-owned business,will seek to demonstrate success in woman-owned, woman-led entrepreneurship in the energy sector, and to increase productive opportunities for women along the fuel-efficient cookstove value chain.

BURN Manufacturing Co. and the Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) will create a Revolving Fund that will provide financing to cookstove distributors in Kenya. MESPT and BURN have also committed to matching the USAID financial resources allocated to the Revolving Fund, expanding its ability to alleviate the capital constraints experienced by many cookstove enterprises.

The Fuel-Efficient Cookstove Distribution in Kenya Grants Competition is part of USAID’s Sh1.6billion commitment to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, whose members hope to foster the adoption of 100 million clean stoves by 2020.

Advertisement

More on Capital Business