Major African Energy Fund backs electric cooking expansion in Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia
KAMPALA, July 23, 2025 –– The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa [SEFA], managed by the African Development Bank [AfDB], is supporting efforts to reduce charcoal dependence in Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia through a US$4 million reimbursable grant.
The funding will support the Burn Electric Cooking Expansion Programme [BEEP], which aims to deploy 115,000 Burn ECOA electric induction cookers to low-income, grid-connected households currently reliant on charcoal.
BEEP is being implemented by Burn Manufacturing, a Kenya-based clean cookstove company and carbon developer operating in over 10 African countries. The programme seeks to make clean cooking appliances more affordable by pre-financing induction cookers and recovering costs through carbon credit sales in the voluntary carbon market. This innovative model combines carbon-backed subsidies with pay-as-you-go payment plans, significantly reducing upfront costs for users.
The programme is capitalised through a Special Purpose Vehicle [SPV], comprising a US$5 million senior loan from the Spark+ Africa Fund, a US$4 million reimbursable grant from SEFA, and US$1 million in equity from Burn Manufacturing.
The SPV, in partnership with Burn, will oversee the sales, distribution, and servicing of the cookers. The cookers will generate carbon credits, owned by the SPV, with revenue shared among the project’s investors.
Dr Daniel Schroth, Director for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the AfDB Group, commented: “This represents the Bank’s first carbon finance transaction of its kind, with SEFA playing a vital role in mitigating carbon market risks and enhancing the financial sustainability of the programme.”
The initiative aligns with SEFA’s energy efficiency focus, aiming to catalyse private sector investment in energy-saving appliances and support the scale-up of clean cooking technologies. It also contributes to the Mission 300 Initiative and the Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa, which seeks to achieve universal access to energy through low-carbon solutions.
Peter Scott, Founder and CEO of Burn, said: “We are honoured to receive this catalytic investment from SEFA—its first-ever investment in carbon projects focused on electric cooking. This milestone allows Burn to rapidly scale our IoT-enabled induction cookers across Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia, offering low-income households a zero-emission, digitally monitored alternative to charcoal and wood.”
“By integrating cutting-edge technology, carbon financing, and mobile-enabled ‘Pay-As-You-Cook’ models, we are proving that electric cooking can be clean, affordable, and scalable across the continent,“ he added.
In addition to environmental and health benefits, the programme is expected to create jobs and strengthen local supply chains in the three countries, laying the foundation for a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous future for communities across East and Southern Africa.
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