Modern Cooking Facility for Africa

Increasing access to clean and affordable cooking solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Modern and clean cooking in Africa

Over 900 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to modern and clean cooking solutions. It is the only region in the world where access to clean cooking has not kept pace with population growth.

The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) is a groundbreaking results-based financing programme that aims to scale-up access to higher tier clean cooking solutions. The MCFA operates in the following countries; the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The goal of the Modern Cooking Facility for Africa is to provide up to 4 million Africans with access to clean cooking solutions, improving overall health, reducing GHG emissions and increasing economic growth. The MCFA will do this by financially incentivising private companies active in the clean cooking sector and which are offering affordable, high-quality and energy-efficient clean cooking services, thereby accelerating the creation of a long-term sustainable market.

Read more about the MCFA programme and the funded projects on www.moderncooking.africa

Open funding round for clean cooking companies in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa has opened its second funding round to support access to and scale-up of high-technology clean cooking solutions in seven Sub-Saharan African countries. Deadline for submitting applications is 31 January 2024.

The MCFA contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

How to apply for funding

The MCFA programme is based on Call for Proposals inviting private companies to apply for funding for a certain country. The second MCFA funding round is opening for new applications on 29 November at 16:00 Helsinki time (EET). We are inviting private companies ready to launch or scale up their modern and affordable clean cooking solutions to apply for funding. The deadline for Pre-Qualification applications is 12:00 (noon) Helsinki time (EET) on 31 January 2024. Read more about the application process at: www.moderncooking.africa/apply

Supported technologies

MCFA supports higher-tier cooking solutions, including electric cookstoves and cookstoves that use sustainably produced solid and liquid biofuels or biogas solutions.

MCFA2 financing round can support clean cooking services that are based on sales of:

Tier 4-5 electric, bioethanol, biogas, bio-LPG, LPG (only in selected countries) and solar (thermal and photovoltaic) stoves
Tier 3+ gasifier and forced-draft rocket stoves using sustainably produced briquettes and pellets

MCFA particularly encourages clean cooking services incorporating pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) and/or stove use monitoring (SUM). Clean cooking services provided under the integrated ‘tool and fuel’ model are particularly incentivised.