Modern Energy Cooking Services Invests in Three African Companies to Accelerate Clean, Affordable Cooking
Nairobi, Kenya, 5 May 2026 – Across sub-Saharan Africa, more that 600 million people still cook with wood, charcoal, or other biomass fuels—a challenge that drives deforestation, generates harmful indoor air pollution, and imposes a disproportionate burden on women and girls. Closing this gap is one of the most urgent and compelling investment opportunities in the clean energy sector. Three innovative African companies are demonstrating exactly that.
Bridging the investment gap in clean cooking
EcoBora, PowerUp, and Sun-Power Box are Africa-based companies using clean technologies and innovative business models to make clean cooking viable and affordable for urban, peri-urban, and off-grid communities. Each is at a pivotal stage: they have gathered early evidence and validated demand for efficient electric cooking (e-cooking) technologies and now need targeted investment that will unlock the next round of growth.
Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), a research and innovation program funded by UK aid via the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), has made direct Research & Development (R&D) investments in all three companies. These investments will directly support the companies’ R&D efforts, which includes product testing, technology validation, business model refinement, and market access research, generating transferable knowledge and reduce risk for future investors. Despite the clear potential for e-cooking, current financial structures are not adequately supporting its growth, creating a critical gap for early-stage ventures. MECS’ R&D venture building support is designed to bridge that gap and support early-stage companies move from market entry to scale.
Nyamolo Abagi, Director of Clean Energy Access at CLASP and member of the MECS Investment Committee, comments on the Investment Committee’s decision: “The MECS Investment Committee is pleased to support these three trail-blazing ventures. All three companies demonstrated potential to scale up their businesses and make significant strides in accelerating the adoption of clean cooking technologies across Africa.”
Meet the three companies:
Ecobora is a Kenya-based clean energy enterprise that manufactures solar- and grid-powered institutional electric cookstoves for large-scale kitchens. Combining robust design with smart monitoring and carbon revenue pathways, Ecobora is expanding affordable, zero-emission cooking for schools and other institutions across Africa.
PowerUp, a Uganda-based clean-tech venture, delivers affordable electric cooking solutions through smart electric pressure cookers and induction cooktops with integrated metering and Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) features that are supported by a data platform and carbon finance model.
Sun-Power Box is a Malawi-based company tackling the clean cooking challenge in rural off-grid communities. Its battery-enabled solar-electric cooking systems integrate efficient appliances, end-to-end system design, and last-mile delivery to bring clean cooking to households that are harder to reach.
All three companies have established track records of growth and a demonstrated readiness to push their technologies to the next level.
Kato Kibuka, Co-founder and CEO of PowerUp, remarks on how this R&D support will impact the company’s capacity to innovate and reach more people: “PowerUP values the R&D support from CLASP and MECS programme, which allows us to continue innovating on electric cooking solutions that are accessible and attractive to African homes. Now, even more customers will save money and time while avoiding indoor air pollution.”
MECS R&D venture building support
Over the next year, this R&D venture building support will focus on product testing and validation, alongside market access, financial, and policy research. Critically, the findings will build the evidence base that the wider clean cooking sector, and prospective investors, need to move with confidence.
Professor Rachel Kyte, UK Special Representative for Climate, remarks on the significance of this investment decision: “Clean cooking technologies transform lives and protect the planet by improving health, generating jobs, and avoiding deforestation. Innovative UK-African partnerships advancing viable and affordable electric cooking solutions are more important than ever at a time of price shocks and supply disruption for LPG and other fossil fuels. Supporting these three pioneering firms is part of our modern approach to development and helps move the world one step closer to universal clean cooking.”
A call to investors and partners
MECS’ investment in EcoBora, PowerUp, and Sun-Power Box is an early signal of what is possible when R&D funding is deployed with precision and purpose. The evidence these companies generate is designed to de-risk the investments that come next. MECS invite impact investors, development finance institutions, and technology partners to engage with these ventures and explore how their capital can help accelerate the clean cooking transition across Africa.
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About Modern Energy Cooking Services programme
Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) is an eleven-year programme funded by UK aid via the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. MECS is a geographically diverse, multicultural and transdisciplinary team working in close partnership with NGOs, governments, private sector, academia and research institutes, policy representatives and communities in 16 countries of interest to accelerate a transition from biomass to genuinely ‘clean’ cooking.
About CLASP
CLASP is the leading global authority on efficient appliances’ role in fighting climate change and improving people’s lives. With 25 years of expertise and offices on four continents, CLASP collaborates with policymakers, industry leaders, and other experts to deliver clear pathways to a more sustainable world for people and the planet.
2025 CLASP Annual Report
Collective action for people,
prosperity, and planet.
A note from CLASP’s CEO,
Christine Egan
Appliance and equipment energy efficiency is a triple-win for people, planet, and prosperity. In a time of multiplying global crises, it stands out as a durable climate solution and key element of smart decarbonization strategies. It also creates jobs and improves livelihoods, enhances energy security and food system resilience, and helps people adapt to a changing climate.
Looking back at 2025, I’m wowed by the work of CLASP’s global team and dedicated partners, and the focus of the decisionmakers we support. Through purposeful collaboration, we forged the policy instruments, finance, and intelligence to drive positive momentum.
Together, we are changing the way we use energy.
2025 by the numbers:
4.6 Gt 18 CLASP-supported appliance and equipment efficiency policies will avoid 4.6 gigatons of CO2 by 2050, improving planetary and human health and saving money.
30K+ Over 30,000 people experienced improved health and livelihoods via access to efficient, solar powered appliances and equipment.
Skyline of Jakarta, Indonesia
Image credit: CLASP
Elevating Appliance Efficiency in National Climate Commitments
What we did
Ahead of COP30, CLASP led a global campaign to improve inclusion of appliance and equipment energy efficiency in national climate goals (nationally determined contributions or NDCs).
How we did it
Through our Net Zero Appliance NDC Toolkit and bespoke support for governments around the globe, CLASP elevated appliance efficiency policy as a key climate mitigation solution. Now, appliance and equipment efficiency policy is included in 90% of all submitted NDCs—up from below 50% in the last cycle.
Image credit: CLASP
Powering Africa’s Green Economy
Solar-powered appliances and equipment turn energy into opportunity, helping small businesses generate jobs and income. In 2025, CLASP re-launched our innovative Productive Use Financing Facility to make it cheaper and easier for entrepreneurs, farmers, and small businesses in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria to buy solar-powered appliances and equipment that power livelihoods. Last year, CLASP partnered with 11 companies to drive jobs and economic growth in Africa’s informal and agricultural sectors, which make up 70-80% of African economies.
Slashing Emissions Through Smart Policy
Australia
National leaders passed a lighting policy that will transition Australia’s market to an all-LED future and avoid 41 Mt of CO₂ by 2050, informed by CLASP-led analysis.
Brazil
Policymakers made strides in Brazil’s LED transition with CLASP’s support, approving a lighting policy package that will slash nearly 3 Mt CO₂ by 2050.
China
CLASP supported seven major policy updates, including for compressed air systems, refrigerators, and water pumps. Altogether, the new policies are estimated to cut nearly 3 Gt CO₂ by 2050.
India
CLASP supported the advancement of policies for space cooling appliances that will place India among global leaders in efficiency and cut 1.2 Gt CO₂ by 2050.
Image credit: ImageDB
Making Efficient, Affordable Fans the New Standard in India
India is one of the places on the planet most at risk of extreme heat. 90% of households rely on fans as their only form of space cooling. CLASP partnered with government and private sector partners to drastically improve fan efficiency, availability, and affordability. A major part of the effort was supporting small and medium enterprises to improve their production capacity.
The impact has been catalytic. Together, CLASP and partners cut energy demand and climate emissions from cooling, while safeguarding jobs, strengthening local supply chains, and making efficient cooling more affordable to the people who need it.
Joining Up with the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) Programme
CLASP joined the UK Aid-supported MECS programme as a core partner alongside Loughborough University and the World Bank’s ESMAP. CLASP now leads on venture building and market shaping, helping e-cooking businesses scale up. In 2025, CLASP launched the Global LEAP Awards Induction Cooktops Competition to identify and promote the most innovative electric cooktops on the market.
CLASP's Sumedha Awasthy & Nya Abagi at the Global LEAP Awards Induction Cooktops Competition workshop in New Delhi, India.
Image credit: CLASP
EcoBora, an innovative electric cooking company in Kenya, supported by CLASP through the MECS programme.
Image credit: CLASP
CLASP’s India Director, Neha Dhingra, speaking at the Modern Energy Cooking Forum in New Delhi, India, in September 2025.
Image credit: Finovista
Emmanuel Aziebor, CLASP’s Senior Director, Africa, at Kenya Clean Cooking Week.
Image credit: CLASP
How UK Housing Authorities Can Power the Switch to Electric Cooking
Global Action Plan, in partnership with CLASP, piloted gas-to-electric cooking retrofits in a social housing community in Manchester.
For participating households, switching to electric meant more than lower emissions. It meant breathing more easily in the kitchen, a cleaner and more practical cooking experience, and greater peace of mind for families with young children. Every household preferred its new induction cooktop over gas.
Watch the video:
Image credit: CLASP
Economies Can Boom When Powered by Efficient Motor Systems
Industrial motor systems are the invisible heartbeat of economic development. Universally used across industrial facilities, they power the production of goods like metals, paper, cement, textiles, and packaged food. Motor systems are also ferocious energy consumers, due to their function and prevalence. Without intervention, and in step with global economic development and industrialization, by 2050 motor systems will account for 35% of global electricity demand and 19% of energy related emissions. CLASP is taking action on this priority appliance in the fight for Net Zero, identifying high impact opportunities at national and global scales to drive up efficiency, slash emissions, and boost economic progress.
Image credit: CLASP
In Brazil, Partnering for Change
Ahead of COP30 in Brazil, CLASP joined forces with science communication agency Bori to drive national awareness of the benefits of appliance efficiency. Our InfoEnergia Mentorship was an 8-week, in-depth workshop that connected 25 journalists with experts and expertise to produce smart, contextualized reporting on appliance efficiency and its social, economic, and environmental impacts. Robust local journalism is a key element of durable climate policy.
Elevating Appliance-Centered Solutions at COP30
At COP 30 in Brazil, appliance and equipment energy efficiency stood out as a powerful climate solution, driving job creation, energy security, and adaptive capacity. CLASP provided expert testimony on the power of appliance efficiency solutions.
CLASP’s Bishal Thapa participated in discussion on space cooling solutions, offering insights about the benefits of efficient cooling technologies that slash emissions.
Image credit: CLASP
CLASP’s Edilaine Camillo moderated a conversation on the principal role of efficiency in Brazil’s energy transition during an agency-led day of efficiency themed events.
Image credit: CLASP
CLASP’s Bishal Thapa took part in a panel hosted by Casa Civil to speak about the role of energy efficiency policy in Brazil’s reindustrialization strategy.
Image credit: CLASP
Insights driving action
Delivering COP28’s Doubling Efficiency Goal Through Appliances
Appliance efficiency will play a critical role in meeting the COP28 commitment to double the global rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030. CLASP research found it could deliver 20% of the energy savings needed, highlighting the value of strong standards, clear targets, and international collaboration.
The Missing Piece of Energy Access
666 million people, most of them in Africa, lack access to electricity. 2025 CLASP research shows that directing just 15% of existing energy investments toward efficient appliances can generate the demand needed to make grid expansions financially viable and help those currently living without electricity gain access to healthier, more productive lives.
Finances
- Revenue by donor type
- Expenses by region
- CLASP collaborates with a global network of partners. In 2025, CLASP channeled nearly half our resources to civil society and energy groups, innovators, academic institutions, and experts — essential partners in changing the way we use energy.
About CLASP
Efficient appliances and equipment are essential drivers of economic growth and a fast, practical energy transition. With over 25 years of expertise and offices on five continents, CLASP collaborates with governments, industry leaders, and other experts to change the way we use energy.
We’re proud of what our team and partners achieved in 2025, driving progress for a better world. In 2026, we remain committed to championing appliance efficiency as a powerful solution for people, prosperity, and planet.
Solar Appliance Repairability Index Series
Solar appliances often constitute a significant financial investment, especially for those living in off-grid regions where recycling is also limited. Enhancing appliance repairability aims to protect consumer investment and the environment by incentivising designs that are easier to repair or refurbish.
This Solar Appliance Repairability Index Series consists of an introductory paper that outlines the findings of current repair practices and key criteria for assessing repairability, as well as a repair index for solar water pumps, fans, and refrigerators.
The introductory paper, “Closing the Loop: Enhancing Repairability in the Solar Appliance Market,” synthesises field research in Kenya and interviews with 32 stakeholders. Findings reveal that the repair of solar appliances is currently managed in an informal, uncoordinated way. This poses challenges to the sustainability of the solar appliance sector, including:
- Knowledge gaps
- Access to repair services
- Missed job opportunities
The Repairability Index for Solar Fans, Refrigerators, and Water Pumps provides a structured framework to assess how easily an appliance can be repaired across four core parameters:
- Spare parts and tools
- Disassembly
- Skills complexity
- Documentation
The Repairability Index is intended to serve as a practical decision-making tool for manufacturers, distributors, program implementers, and policymakers.
About Efficiency for Access
Efficiency for Access is a global coalition working to promote renewable and energy efficient appliances to deliver clean energy to the world’s poorest people. It is coordinated jointly by CLASP and the UK’s Energy Saving Trust.
New Partnership Between Government of Makueni County & CLASP Signals a $559M Opportunity to Transform Kenya’s Institutional Kitchens
Nairobi, Kenya, 27 March 2026 – Today, at the Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO) in Nairobi, the Government of Makueni County and CLASP, as a co-implementer of Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate clean cooking transitions across public institutions in Makueni County. The ceremony was witnessed by H.E. Prof. Kithure Kindiki, EGH, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. The signing coincides with the launch of Kenya’s first Institutional Clean Cooking Sector Pack, which identifies a KES 72 billion ($559M) investment opportunity to transition over 100,000 institutions serving 12.6 million people to modern clean cooking solutions—framing institutional clean cooking not as a development challenge, but as a compelling, bankable investment opportunity.
A partnership rooted in national commitment and investment ambition
Despite Kenya’s remarkable strides in electricity access—from 20% to 75% of the population in the last decade—clean cooking remains one of the last major frontiers of the energy transition. Many in Kenya still rely on traditional fuels, such as charcoal and firewood, which contribute to deforestation, generate harmful indoor air pollution, and divert billions of shillings annually from institutions and households toward inefficient fuel expenditure. Kenya’s National Cooking Transition Strategy (KNCTS 2024–2028) sets a clear national target of universal access to clean cooking by 2030, operationalizing the National Energy Policy and mobilizing government, private sector, and development partners toward a coordinated, multi-fuel transition. This partnership between the Government of Makueni County and CLASP takes a major step in translating the national framework into county-level action, with a clear investment case to match.
Nyamolo Abagi, Director of Clean Energy Access at CLASP and CLASP/MECS programme lead, emphasizes the impact this partnership will have on lives and livelihoods: “Through the MECS programme, we have spent years building the evidence base and market infrastructure to make clean cooking a real, affordable choice for institutions, households, and commercial settings across the Global South. But this is also, urgently, a story about dignity — about the cooks in institutional kitchens who feed school children and the sick every day, while enduring some of the highest levels of heat stress and indoor air pollution of any workforce on the continent. They deserve better, and better is now within reach.”
Unlocking the institutional cooking opportunity
While global clean cooking efforts have largely focused on households, institutional kitchens represent an equally critical and significantly underserved opportunity. Across sub-Saharan Africa, more than 620,000 schools, nearly 100,000 healthcare facilities, and hundreds of thousands of correctional and vocational training centers prepare meals daily for millions of people, with over 85% still relying on firewood or charcoal. In Kenya alone, there are over 97,000 educational institutions, more than 13,000 healthcare facilities, and over 130 correctional facilities; more than 90% still use biomass for cooking.
Kenya’s newly launched Institutional Clean Cooking Sector Pack — developed by the Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change (OSECC) in partnership with InvestKenya, with contributions from the Government of Makueni County, CLASP/MECS, and other partners — quantifies this as a KES 72 billion ($559M) investment opportunity and provides the market intelligence to make it bankable.
Over the next five years, CLASP and the Government of Makueni County will jointly identify and prioritize public institutions and communities for electric cooking transitions, working with a growing ecosystem of Kenya-based clean cooking suppliers. Pilot interventions at vocational training centers will draw on innovative local companies, including Ecobora and Feion Green Ventures, two Kenya-based manufacturers supported through the MECS programme, to demonstrate that affordable, high-quality clean cooking solutions are available and ready to scale. The aim is to build a replicable, financially sustainable model that can attract private capital and be replicated across Kenya’s 47 counties to demonstrate that affordable, high-quality clean cooking solutions are available and ready to scale.
Nyamolo Abagi highlights the opportunity this partnership poses: “What makes this partnership with Makueni County so compelling is that all the ingredients are already here: a county government with the will to act, innovative local manufacturers ready to deliver, and a sector pack that turns a long-standing development challenge into a credible investment opportunity. CLASP’s role is to connect those pieces — and to ensure that the communities and institutions we serve are co-creators of the solutions, not just recipients. Makueni is where we prove the model.”
Governor of Makueni County, H.E. Mutula Kilonzo Junior says of the partnership: “Makueni is open for investment — and clean cooking is one of the most compelling opportunities on the table. Our county has already committed KES 157 million to solar energy, launched our County Energy Plan (2023 – 2032), Energy Policy 2025, and piloted clean cooking in our institutions. We know what is possible when the right partners show up. This partnership with MECS and CLASP is about turning that commitment into scale —reducing the fuel costs that drain our institutions, creating skilled jobs for our young people in the clean energy sector.”
A call to investors and partners
Today’s MOU signing is a signal of implementation intent, but unlocking Kenya’s KES 72 billion institutional clean cooking opportunity at scale will require blended finance approaches that combine public funding, private capital, concessional finance, and carbon markets. CLASP, the Government of Makueni County, and the MECS programme invite investors, development partners, local financial institutions, and technology providers to engage with the Institutional Clean Cooking Sector Pack and explore how their capital and expertise can accelerate this transition.
Governor of Makueni County, H.E. Mutula Kilonzo Junior, and CLASP's Nyamolo Abagi, signed a landmark MoU to accelerate clean cooking in public institutions. Photo credit: CLASP.
Photo Credit CLASP
H.E Prof. Kithure Kindiki E.G.H, Deputy President of Kenya, and CLASP's Emmanuel Aziebor, Senior Director Africa, witnessing the signing of the MoU between Makueni County and CLASP. Photo credit: CLASP.
CLASP's Nyamolo Abagi moderating a session on enhancing institutional coordination to accelerate the clean cooking sector in Kenya. Photo credit: CLASP.
CLASP's Nyamolo Abagi moderating a session on enhancing institutional coordination to accelerate the clean cooking sector in Kenya. Photo credit: CLASP.
CLASP's Towett Ngetich and MECS Dr. John Leary, presenting the Kenya’s first Institutional Clean Cooking Sector Pack at KIICO 2026. Photo credit: CLASP.
About Modern Energy Cooking Services programme
Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) is an eleven-year programme funded by UK aid via the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. MECS is a geographically diverse, multicultural and transdisciplinary team working in close partnership with NGOs, governments, private sector, academia and research institutes, policy representatives and communities in 16 countries of interest to accelerate a transition from biomass to genuinely ‘clean’ cooking. CLASP is a core partner of the MECS programme alongside Loughborough University and ESMAP.
About CLASP
CLASP is the leading global authority on efficient appliances’ role in fighting climate change and improving people’s lives. With 25 years of expertise and offices on four continents, CLASP collaborates with policymakers, industry leaders, and other experts to deliver clear pathways to a more sustainable world for people and the planet.
Electric Cooking Could Transform Health, Energy, and Climate—Here’s How
For more than 90% of the world’s population, cooking typically involves burning fuels like gas, wood, or animal dung to heat food. As these fuels are polluting, preparing food has consequences far beyond the kitchen, affecting public health, air quality, and climate.
But for billions of people, cleaner cooking isn’t an option due to a lack of access to electricity, electric cooking appliances, or both. Moreover, many people are reluctant to switch to electric cooking. Often, this reluctance is rooted in misconceptions about taste, convenience, or affordability.
Nyamolo Abagi wants to change this. As a leader of CLASP’s electric cooking work, she collaborates with policymakers, manufacturers, and clean cooking advocates to communicate the wide-ranging benefits of electric cooking (also known as e-cooking) and make the technology more accessible across the Global South.
Abagi spoke with CLASP’s Marina Baur about this work.
Marina Baur: Electric cooking technologies have been around for a long time, but it seems like momentum is growing behind the idea that transitioning to them could really benefit society as a whole. Why is this happening now? What’s changed to make this a viable option globally?
Nyamolo Abagi: The one requirement for electric cooking is reliable electricity supply to run your appliance, whether that’s an induction stove, oven, or electric pressure cooker. And in the Global South, where millions of people still live without power, that’s not always a given.
But over the last 10 years, we’ve brought electricity to a lot more homes. So now we’re facing a massive opportunity. We have millions of people who are newly connected to electricity, often via distributed renewable energy, but they’re only using if for very basic energy services like lighting, phone charging, or watching TV. There’s a huge opportunity for e-cooking around the world to scale.
Abagi (fourth from the left) at an e-cooking competition using induction cookstoves in New Delhi, India.
CLASP
Another important factor is that e-cooking technologies today are mature and ready to scale. Over the last few years, these appliances have become extremely efficient.
And current events are underscoring just how important the transition to efficient, electric cooking appliances is. The geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are exposing the fragile nature of our energy fuel supply and leaders across many regions fear that gas shortages may affect people’s ability to cook.
As a result, we’re seeing a huge spike in induction cooktop sales. For example, last week Amazon India recorded a 20-fold increase in demand within 24 hours compared to a normal day.
This current moment is a powerful reminder that the transition to electric cooking is about far more than climate alone—it’s also about resilience and energy security—and the time to leverage these benefits is now.
Baur: Even as interest in e-cooking grows, people have cooked with fuels like wood since early in human history. What other benefits could make them want to switch to?
Abagi: Probably the biggest benefit is health. CLASP did extensive research in Europe into the health impacts of cooking with gas stoves, and the data clearly showed that households using gas breathe in twice as much indoor air pollution as those with electric appliances. You can imagine what the numbers might look like for households with a biomass stove. This indoor pollution can be linked directly to respiratory diseases like asthma, and it leads to coughing, wheezing, and increased hospital visits, particularly for vulnerable groups like children.
And now imagine this in a Global South context. Across Africa and Asia, more and more people are moving into cities, where they often live in densely populated apartment complexes. Yet many people, especially the lower middle class, are still cooking with a biomass or charcoal stove. Whether they’re cooking in their kitchens or on their little balconies with the door open, there’s a lot of smoke coming into their homes. In tightly packed, often poorly ventilated buildings, that’s only going to exacerbate the issue of indoor air pollution.
Besides that, cooking on an open flame increases the risk of fire and fire-related incidents. Imagine a family with kids. Kids tend to be very curious, and they might accidently tip over the charcoal stove and end up with a first-, second-, or third-degree burn. This is actually quite common.
And—this is something I only recently realized myself—induction cooktops, with no open flames, no harmful gas residue, lightweight designs, and touch‑based controls instead of knobs, are revolutionary for differently abled people with limited mobility. They can be operated safely, moved easily, placed on the floor, and even used with toes, restoring independence in ways I hadn’t previously imagined.
Many of these health and safety aspects also extend to institutional settings. Think about schools, hospitals, or prisons where cooks prepare meals for thousands of people every day. In sub-Saharan Africa, most of these kitchens still rely on biomass such as wood. Studies have shown that temperatures in these big kitchens are upwards of 10 degrees Celsius hotter than ambient temperature, and humidity is also high. Now imagine that’s your job that you go to every single day. Transitioning to electric cooking would be a big step to ensure the health and safety of these folks who are responsible for feeding our children and sick people.
Transitioning away from wood stoves in institutional kitchens can also have huge environmental benefits. Right now, most have to cut down so many trees to heat their food that both policymakers and the institutions themselves have recognized the need for change.
Cooks at a school kitchen in Kenya where chopping wood and cooking meals on a wood stove are part of their daily duties.
CLASP
And think about what this could mean for utilities. Some people believe that e-cooking would burden the grid, but this is a myth. If done right, electric cooking can actually help strengthen the energy system. This is because utilities make money by selling electricity. When they connect more homes to the grid, they often have to borrow a lot of money to build that infrastructure. But if those households barely use electricity, as is the case in many parts of the Global South, how do utilities pay that money back? That’s a chicken and egg problem. We need electricity to be more reliable, but utilities have little incentive to invest in improvements if they are not earning enough.
That’s where e-cooking can come in. It increases everyday electricity use in a predictable way, which gives utilities more income and a stronger reason to keep the power reliable.
There’s another aspect to e-cooking that I’m really excited about: It creates huge economic opportunity. Imagine all the new green jobs for retailers, technicians, importers, manufacturers, and improved economics and working conditions for small businesses that prepare food.
With the population growing quickly and unemployment rising, youth employment is a big concern for many African governments right now. Including electric cooking in a jobs strategy is a triple win for jobs, climate, and health.
I have visited assembly plants in Asia that manufacture electric cooking appliances. CLASP is incubating one here in Africa that is doing all of its welding locally.
And the even bigger opportunity is what could happen through South–South collaboration, for example between India and countries in Africa, or India and Nepal. There is real potential for knowledge transfer and joint ventures. This might mean Indian companies partnering with African distributors or manufacturers who understand local markets. It could even mean acquiring some of the businesses we are helping to grow. If that happens, that would be a great success story; it’s how markets mature.
Baur: If the benefits are so massive, why isn’t this happening faster? What’s holding things back, and how can we get past those challenges?
Abagi: In many countries—including Kenya, where I’m taking this interview from—electricity is expensive and often still unreliable. So for a lot of people, e-cooking is a dead-on-arrival message. It is a bit like telling me about a luxury electric car. I might say, “That sounds great, but I cannot afford it.”
But the picture is more complicated than it seems. If you do a dish-by-dish comparison, you will find that e-cooking is not only more efficient but also actually more affordable than gas or biomass. So misconceptions around affordability are one of the biggest bottlenecks we need to overcome as stakeholders in the energy access and clean cooking space. What we can do is generate strong data and evidence to show utilities that energy-efficient, affordable technologies already exist and that there are practical ways for customers to procure them.
With the right data, we can also get utilities’ support in strengthening the e-cooking ecosystem. For example, to address affordability concerns, utilities could experiment with a dedicated tariff for electric cooking. Internet of Things technologies now make it possible to collect detailed usage data. Some of these devices are very simple: you plug them into the wall, then plug the cooking appliance into it, and it captures meter data on how often the appliance is used and how much electricity it consumes.
With that kind of information, a utility could design a tariff specifically linked to electric cooking that is slightly lower than the standard rate. That could serve as a practical incentive to encourage people to cook with electricity more regularly, including at an institutional level.
There are also other barriers to overcome. The shift to e-cooking isn’t just about technology or money; culture also plays a big role. What many people really care about is stuff like, “Is my food going to taste as good as my grandmother’s dishes if I shift away from the cooking methods we’ve been using for generations?”
Fortunately, it’s easy to demonstrate that food cooked with electricity can be delicious, and that many traditional recipes can be cooked this way. Take pressure cookers, for example—they’re so efficient that you’re preserving a lot more of the flavors and nutrients in your food. I wish I could do a blind taste test with people that are attached to the idea that food cooked on biomass tastes better. I’m sure they would be surprised.
Abagi (second from the left) testing e-cooking appliances with differently abled homemakers participating as 'citizen scientists' in a workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia.
CLASP
Additionally, I’m not saying that 100% of the dishes have to be prepared using electricity. Wherever you are in the world, we’re all using different appliances in our kitchens: You might have an oven, a toaster, a microwave, a blender, an air fryer, and so on. So when we talk about transitioning to e-cooking, what we’re advocating for is to move households toward electric cooking as their primary cooking method, covering about 70% of our cooking needs. There will always be some dishes that have to be prepared in different ways—some people have wood-fired pizza ovens; others may enjoy grilling in the summertime. For these special cases, it’s fine for people to keep using biomass, as a way to preserve culture and tradition.
Another aspect people don’t like to talk about is that policymaking around cooking is often male-dominated, even though women do most of the cooking. This creates a disconnect between lived experience and policy design – and momentum for change.
Whenever I speak to policymakers, I joke with them that we would solve this issue today if they would pass a law that men have to do all the cooking for one year. Men would still have to do their other jobs and then come home and cook the meals. And of course, the moment men had to cook every day after work, I have a strong hunch the first question they would ask is: “surely there must be better way to do this?”
Think about cooking beans, for instance. If you have ever cooked beans on a gas or charcoal stove, you know it’s complicated. You’re constantly wondering: Did I pour too much water? Did I seal the pot properly? Is it going to bubble over and create a big mess? With a pressure cooker, I no longer worry about these things. I can turn it on, be in a Zoom call, and even if I completely forget about it, the pressure cooker is going to turn itself off when it’s done, and my beans will be waiting for me, warm and ready to eat.
Right now, a lot of people, most of them women, are spending so much of their time babysitting their beans. That time and mental space could be used more productively to do other things.
A consumer participating as a ‘citizen scientist’ in a hands-on cooking workshop in Kenya, cooking a local staple dish on an induction cooktop.
CLASP
Baur: CLASP is doing a lot of work to accelerate the electric cooking transition. What does that work look like and what is it going to take to fully make the shift?
Abagi: What CLASP is trying to do is build an e-cooking ecosystem where we bring together policymakers, utilities, manufacturers, and households, directly involving consumers to build trust in new technologies.
The Global LEAP Awards that CLASP conducts are a great example of this. It involves usability testing, which means putting the e-cooking appliances directly into the hands of real people and having them test them. It allows us to collect data in a scientific way—for example, understanding the actual cost of cooking specific dishes. But it’s also about the people themselves: It gives them agency. They become part of the effort and part of shaping what clean cooking looks like in practice. It matters, because making this shift really does require everyone.
CLASP is also a core partner of the MECS program, which stands for Modern Energy Cooking Services and is dedicated to speeding up the shift to clean electric cooking. CLASP’s role is mostly in venture building and market shaping. That means we help innovative e-cooking businesses grow and reach more homes across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. We also work with governments, regulators, and funders to strengthen the policies, standards, and financing that make it possible for people to adopt these technologies.
What we’re seeing is that policymakers are already signaling their commitment. If you look at many African countries today, whether through national clean cooking or electrification strategies, clean cooking, including electric cooking, is becoming a priority.
But policy signals are only the first step. Utilities need to improve reliability; consumers need to know that electric cooking is possible and practical for them.
And it is. Irrespective of where you are in the world, there are technologies today that would make your cooking more efficient and affordable. And the two that really jump out are pressure cookers and induction cooktops. So let’s get them in as many homes as we can.
Interview edited and condensed.
Find CLASP at The Kenya International Investment Conference
From 25 to 27 March 2026, CLASP, as part of the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), will attend the Kenya International Investment Conference (KIICO) in Nairobi, Kenya. CLASP’s Director of Clean Energy Access, Nyamolo Abagi, will moderate the panel discussion, “Policy/Regulatory Frameworks and Enhancing Institutional Coordination to Accelerate the Clean Cooking Sector” and Clean Energy Access Venture Building Manager, Towett Ngetich, and MECS Researcher and Program Lead, Jon Leary, will present at the side event, “Investment Opportunity Spotlight: From Sector Pack to Bankable Pipeline.”
At a time when Africa’s economy is in the midst of transformation and growth, KIICO provides a platform for visionary policymakers and investors across key sectors, including clean cooking and renewable energy, to transform ideas into action, mobilize capital, and forge new partnerships. It’s where investment, policy, and partnerships come together to shape the trajectory of the country’s, and the continent’s, economic growth.
Register for the event and connect with CLASP’s experts in person.
To invite CLASP experts to speak at your KIICO event, please contact Stella Madete, communications manager, at smadete@clasp.ngo.
Connect with CLASP at KIICO:
Event title | Date and time | Location | Host | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sector Pack Presentation by TWG: “Investment Opportunity Spotlight: From Sector Pack to Bankable Pipeline” | 27 March | Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi, Upper Hill | Clean Cooking Working Group | Register to attend the conference |
Policy/Regulatory Frameworks and Enhancing Institutional Coordination to Accelerate the Clean Cooking Sector | 27 March | Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi, Upper Hill | Clean Cooking Working Group | Register to attend the conference |
CLASP at your next event
Our team of experts leads the global conversation on the role of efficient appliances in fighting climate change and improving people’s lives. Please email us to learn more about the ways we can collaborate and connect.
Make a guest speaker inquiryRising Temperatures Put Millions Across Latin America and the Caribbean at Risk as Cooling Appliances Remain Inefficient
Washington, DC, 25 February 2026 — As temperatures rise and demand for air conditioning accelerates, new research reveals that nearly 70 million people across Latin America and the Caribbean exposed to rising heat risks lack efficient cooling appliances.
Despite the region’s growing need for sustainable cooling, only 15% of households own an air conditioner, leaving millions vulnerable to extreme heat. For many families, the affordability of purchasing and operating an air conditioner remains a key barrier to sustainable cooling access. Consequently, the lack of access to adequate cooling along with rising temperatures severely affects human health.
A new report from CLASP and the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD), with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) finds that these challenges are compounded by environmental dumping—the export of low-efficiency, climate-harming cooling equipment that does not meet existing standards in its country of origin.
Environmental dumping raises household energy bills, increases greenhouse gas emissions, and threatens to lock the region into decades of low-efficiency and polluting cooling infrastructure.
- The research, which focused on Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Mexico, and Uruguay, finds:
- 44% of all new air conditioners sold in Latin America and the Caribbean are categorized as environmental dumping, which means they cannot be legally sold in the countries where they are manufactured.
- More than one-third of new room air conditioners sold in the region use obsolete refrigerants, which are currently phased down or phased out under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its Kigali Amendment.
- Existing cooling access gaps disproportionately affect low-income households and women, and the influx of outdated equipment deepens energy inequality and increases emissions.
- Without stronger efficiency and refrigerant standards, the region could lock in 173 million tons of CO₂e by 2050, emissions equivalent to more than three coal-fired power plants over the next 20 years.
Despite these challenges, the report highlights clear positive pathways for action. Brazil and Grenada are emerging as regional leaders by adopting modern efficiency standards and climate-friendly refrigerant policies and initiatives that protect consumers and close the door to environmental dumping.
While strong national efficiency policies are among the most effective ways for countries to protect themselves from environmental dumping, solutions ultimately require shared responsibility and close collaboration between importing- and exporting-country governments, the private sector, civil society, and international partners.
As extreme heat becomes a defining risk, access to efficient and climate-friendly cooling appliances is no longer optional; it is essential,” said Martina Otto, Head of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat. “This year marks ten years since the adoption of the Kigali Amendment, a decade that has demonstrated how effective international partnerships can drive meaningful action. By acting together now, importing and exporting countries have a clear opportunity to shape markets, protect communities, and steer the inevitable growth in cooling toward solutions that advance climate justice while delivering economic, social, and environmental benefits.
Environmental dumping is an equity issue. As our research shows, millions of people across Latin America and the Caribbean are being left behind with inefficient, outdated cooling equipment that costs too much money to run. Manufacturers have the know-how to produce better appliances but are lacking the right incentives to manufacture and export them to Latin America and other regions in the Global South. This undermines people’s ability to stay safe in a warming world and deepens existing inequalities. —Ana Maria Carreño, Senior Director of Climate at CLASP
We must pursue innovative business models that do not export energy poverty and other burdens of obsolete cooling technologies to vulnerable countries in the Global South. Multilateral platforms, South-South cooperation, and collaborative government-industry partnerships can help. In this way, these countries can leapfrog to becoming innovation hubs for next-generation cooling solutions that support clean air, climate resilience, and prosperity. —Tad Ferris, Senior Counsel at IGSD
For inquiries, please reach out to Marina Baur, Senior Communication Associate, CLASP at mbaur@clasp.ngo.
Power for All Joins the CLASP Family
Nairobi, Kenya, 11 February 2026 – Strong and agile partnerships have been key to unlocking climate progress and sustainable development objectives. Today, a new collaboration emerges: we are delighted to announce that Power for All will join forces with CLASP.
CLASP is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving appliance and equipment energy efficiency, with 25 years of expertise and offices on five continents. Since 2015, Power for All has played a crucial role in the energy access sector, leading impactful campaigns, partnerships, and research to help end energy poverty worldwide.
Now, Power for All joins CLASP. By embedding Power for All’s well-honed campaign and partnership approaches in CLASP’s work, we will strengthen engagement with energy suppliers as well as our collective capacity to elevate appliance and equipment efficiency as a key solution to powering jobs and livelihoods while mitigating climate pollution.
CLASP CEO Christine Egan sees this union as a strategic move for making faster, practical progress:
Since its founding, Power for All has encouraged the distributed renewables sector to expand its thinking and partnerships for improved impact, for example, to make smarter connections with utilities. By joining forces, CLASP and Power for All will advance the integration of energy supply and energy demand. This is a critical move for sustainably getting people the energy services they need, and a direction that CLASP recently articulated in our flagship research, The Missing Piece of Energy Access. Together, our research and stakeholder networks will create a platform to super-charge climate-friendly prosperity. —Christine Egan
Since 2015, Power for All has challenged the status quo and encouraged the sector to probe deeper and better understand how best to drive a more inclusive global energy system. Over the years, they have led boundary-pushing research, publishing sector-defining report series such as their “Powering Jobs Census,” which tracks employment trends in the distributed renewable energy sector and provides critical labor market insights in key countries like Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. Additionally, their ground-breaking Utilities 2.0 campaign sought to demonstrate the benefits of combining centralized and decentralized energy into an integrated energy network. This first-of-its-kind campaign showed that doing so could deliver customer-centric, clean energy solutions faster and more cheaply.
Kristina Skierka, founder of Power for All, reflects on the organization’s legacy and its new chapter:
Power for All was born from the companies that built the decentralized renewable energy sector in order to help accelerate the end of energy poverty. The combined efforts of Power for All and 500+ campaign partners in our decade of action helped connect over 500 million new energy users around the world. I’m encouraged by CLASP’s institutional strength, mission alignment, and global reach to steward the campaign’s legacy, and I remain deeply grateful to every advocate, ally, and team member who helped build this movement. —Kristina Skierka
Over the coming months, as this union takes shape, expect revived and historical Power for All offerings across CLASP channels.
Regarding the partnership, Alba Topulli, outgoing CEO at Power for All, and incoming Senior Director of Clean Energy Access at CLASP, adds:
CLASP has built one of our sector’s most trusted platforms through decades of shaping appliance markets and advancing energy efficiency, grounded in how people actually use energy. Power for All’s years of campaigning and coalition-building have shown us that systems change happens when we move together as a sector—aligning supply and demand, connecting public and private actors, and ensuring centralized and decentralized systems work as one. Together, we’re committed to a shift toward integrated energy solutions that put people at the center and make demand-side initiatives foundational to how energy access is planned, financed, and delivered. —Alba Topulli
Alba Topulli joins CLASP as Senior Director, Clean Energy Access
Adam Browning, Chair of the Board for Power for All, said:
Power for All has always championed bold collaboration and systems-level thinking to accelerate universal energy access. CLASP’s trusted leadership, global reach, and deep technical expertise offer a strong platform to expand our collective impact, grounded in shared purpose and a belief that demand-side solutions must be central to the energy access agenda. The Board is proud to support this strategic partnership, which honors Power for All’s work and positions it for greater scale and impact in the years ahead. —Adam Browning
CLASP and Power for All are delighted to unite forces and are confident that together, we can achieve even greater impact for people, enhanced prosperity, and the planet.
Watch this space as Power for All officially joins the CLASP family and collaborative efforts are announced. Follow us on LinkedIn at @CLASP and on Bluesky at @clasp-ngo.bsky.social.
Alba Topulli Joins CLASP as Senior Director, Clean Energy Access
CLASP welcomes Alba Topulli as the new Senior Director of Clean Energy Access at CLASP. In this role, Alba will lead CLASP’s efforts to scale jobs and economic opportunity and strengthen climate resilience through improved access to affordable and efficient appliances and equipment. Alba will be based in CLASP’s Nairobi office.
Over the last two decades, Alba has worked at the intersection of business, government, and the social sector, focusing on how strategy, research, and innovation can translate into scalable solutions that expand energy access. Much of that experience has been deeply collaborative, working directly with teams and partners in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Uganda to design and deliver market-led, modern energy solutions responsive to local contexts.
Most recently, Alba served as Chief Executive Officer of Power for All and led the organization through a period of strategic evolution, positioning the campaign for its next phase of impact and integration with CLASP. Prior to serving as CEO of Power for All, Alba was Deputy Managing Director at Mercy Corps, where she helped shape global strategy for Energy 4 Impact, the organization’s energy innovation platform. Earlier in her career, she led market development initiatives across Asia and Africa, designing interventions that strengthened energy access sector performance and unlocked investment in off-grid energy markets.
Alba describes on how the sector is shifting and how her new role at CLASP responds to these changes:
We’re at an inflection point for energy access. Most people without electricity now live near existing grid infrastructure, where demand is growing but traditional electrification approaches can’t serve them sustainably. There’s growing recognition that centering demand—treating efficient appliances and equipment as fundamental as supply infrastructure—is critical for utilities and the distributed renewable energy sector alike. CLASP’s decades of technical expertise and the trusted platform it has built uniquely position it to help the sector navigate this shift. I’m excited to work with the team and partners to advance demand-side solutions as central to the SDG7 agenda. —Alba Topulli
CLASP is delighted to welcome Alba to the team and, under her leadership, looks forward to strengthening the organization’s mission and advancing integrated approaches that position efficient appliances and equipment as essential to inclusive economic growth and climate action.
Global Distributors Collective Joins Effort to Bring Clean Energy and Appliances to More Homes and Businesses Worldwide
The Global Distributors Collective (GDC) is the newest member of the Energy Access Institutions Facility, an initiative led by CLASP to help more people gain access to reliable and affordable energy.
Extensive network and wider reach
For nearly a decade, GDC has worked with locally owned businesses (or ‘last mile distributors’), globally, to get efficient products like solar-powered lights, clean cookers, and water filters, to underserved homes and communities. By partnering with the Facility, GDC joins a group of like-minded institutions committed to delivering energy access across the continent.
GDC’s impact is significant. Its network includes 300 distributors across more than 60 countries, which collectively reach more than 60 million people with beneficial household products, including essential sustainable energy products. These distributors operate at the ‘last mile’; the elusive final stretch between services and the often rural, low-income or otherwise marginalized people trying to access those services.
Focused scope for meaningful impact
GDC’s unique selling point is its strong focus on small, locally owned businesses, many of which face a lot of challenges growing or attracting investment. The Collective helps by providing practical training, tools, and support to help these businesses strengthen their operations; making industry knowledge available and more readily accessible; and linking businesses to investment opportunities. Equally important, GDC amplifies the voices of those businesses in decision-making spaces at the global level, where they have traditionally lacked a seat at the table.
Last-mile distributors are vital to connecting the billions of people worldwide who still lack access to potentially transformational energy products. GDC’s partnership with the Facility will enable us to ramp up our work providing support and services that strengthen and grow these businesses—ultimately helping them to reach even more underserved customers.
Jessica Utichi
Head of the Global Distributors Collective
We’re excited to welcome GDC to the Facility. Their unique blend of local expertise and experience, as well as their perspective on last-mile energy access in different geographies, will help us create a more practical, people-centered approach to energy and appliance access, and strengthen our role in supporting those leading the way.
Emmanuel Aziebor
Senior Director Africa, CLASP
The Facility partners with institutions that strengthen off-grid energy markets and help companies succeed and deliver not just electricity, but the skills, tools, and appliances that allow families and businesses to benefit from it. With GDC on board, the coalition is even better positioned to reach more people with solutions that work.
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About the Energy Access Institutions Facility
The Energy Access Institutions Facility, or “The Facility,” is a joint donor initiative to support and strengthen the institutions that are essential for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7, universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030. The Facility is supported by DOEN Foundation, British International Investment, Good Energies Foundation, the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), and the UK Government via the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform and is managed by CLASP.
This material has been funded by UK International Development from the UK Government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK Government’s official policies.