- A partnership was recently signed between the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) and the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA).
- The aim is to mobilise funding to accelerate access to clean cooking in sub-Saharan Africa.
In collaboration with the Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA), the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO) will implement the Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA). This is the goal of the two organizations’ recently formed relationship. The recently formed MCFA program intends to encourage the development of clean cooking solutions in six sub-Saharan African countries, much like the Beyond the Grid for Africa (BGFA) program in the electricity sector.
The MCFA initiative aims to give 3 million people access to safe, cost-effective cooking options in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe by the end of 2027. And as part of the recently signed partnership, the CCA and Nefco will work to advance industry standards and mobilise private, carbon-based finance.
The alliance, according to NEFCO, will concentrate on markets in six MCFA target nations where there is a critical demand for clean cooking solutions.
According to the Washington-based organization, 2.4 billion people use dirty open fires and ineffective stoves to cook, which causes 3.2 million preventable deaths each year and harms livelihoods, the climate, and the environment. Lack of finance restricts access to clean cooking in sub-Saharan Africa.
NEFCO and the CCA will be working over the next months to mobilize private funding to encourage the adoption of eco-friendly cookstoves by sub-Saharan families. Additionally, the two organizations intend to enhance knowledge management in areas related to the promotion of contemporary cooking techniques. Other future actions include the mobilisation of high-integrity carbon finance as part of innovative commercial and financial models to enable companies to reduce the cost of equipment for consumers.