The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa welcomes Norway as a new contributor

At the COP28 meeting in Dubai, Norway announced that it is joining the Modern Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) as a new donor to support the programme’s continued expansion and the development of clean cooking markets in seven Sub-Saharan African countries. The initial Norwegian contribution will be NOK 200 million.

The Norwegian funding, which will be provided through the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), amounts to approx. EUR 17 million over a period of six years, ending in 2029. The new contribution will strengthen the impact of the MCFA programme in all target countries. In addition, Malawi has been introduced as a new project country under the second funding round, which is currently ongoing.

“We are excited to join the MCFA programme. Lack of access to clean cooking solutions is a global challenge that requires new and innovative solutions. In cooperation with Sweden and the European Union, Norway is committed to contributing to a just energy transition, reducing deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions and combating respiratory diseases and gender inequality,” said Per Fredrik Pharo, Director of the Department for Climate and Environment at Norad, today at COP28 in Dubai.

MCFA is a multi-donor facility, established and managed by Nefco, that offers a combination of results-based financing, non-reimbursable catalytic grant financing and technical assistance to companies active in the clean cooking market to grow and scale up their businesses. As a result of the first funding round, launched in 2022, MCFA investees are incentivised to deliver their services to almost 4 million Africans.

The aim of the Norwegian participation is to further accelerate access to clean and affordable cooking services and sustainable fuels for people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as contribute to the inclusive and sustainable development of all MCFA project countries.

“We are very pleased to welcome Norway, one of Nefco’s owners, as a new donor to the MCFA programme. Norad’s contribution will allow us to accelerate the green transition in the clean cooking space and further demonstrate viable business models for affordable, high-quality and energy-efficient solutions,” comments Ash Sharma, Vice President of Nefco and Head of the Modern Cooking Facility for Africa.

Projects implemented with MCFA financing will contribute to the avoidance of CO2 emissions, saving forest land, decreasing consumers’ exposure to black carbon and reducing respiratory diseases, especially for women and children. The financed projects will also help to increase job opportunities in project countries with a focus on empowering women by incentivising companies to enter new markets, grow their businesses and scale up existing operations.

Further information about the ongoing Call for Proposals – closing 31 January 2024

Visit www.moderncooking.africa and register for the online system to apply for funding.

For further information, please contact:

Ash Sharma,Vice President and Head of the Modern Cooking Facility for Africa, Nefco
Ash.sharma@nefco.int, +358 10 618 06 53

Heli Sinkko, Programme Manager of Modern Cooking Facility for Africa, Nefco
Heli.Sinkko@nefco.int, +358 10 6180 659

Endre Ottosen, Senior Adviser Norad
endre.ottosen@norad.no, +47 959 01 295

About Norad

Norad – the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation – is a professional agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Ministry of Climate and Environment (KLD).

Together with our partners and on behalf of Norway, Norad strives to achieve a greener future in a world without poverty, where human rights are respected and no one is left behind. By way of knowledge and cooperation, we ensure that the funds provided through Norwegian development aid contribute to global development. Read more at www.norad.no

About MCFA

The Modern Cooking Facility for Africa is a multi-donor facility established and managed by Nefco – the Nordic Green Bank – with the aim to support the development of new markets for the clean cooking sector and accelerate access to high technology, modern and affordable cooking equipment and clean fuels for consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa. It combines results-based financing with catalytic grant financing to companies active in the clean cooking market to grow and scale up their businesses in the programme countries.

The facility finances projects in seven countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The overall aim of the MCFA programme is to provide access to clean cooking solutions for up to 4 million Africans by the end of 2027. The current EUR 61.5 million MCFA programme was announced in November 2021 and is funded by Sweden, Norway and the European Union; it forms part of the Global Gateway initiative, a new European strategy to boost smart and clean projects that combine public and private financing. Read more at www.moderncooking.africa

About Nefco

Nefco – the Nordic Green Bank – is an international financial institution based in Helsinki, Finland, owned by the five Nordic countries, focusing on environmental and climate investments and working with concrete actions to accelerate the green transition. Nefco also manages external funds in the climate and energy space. It is accredited by the European Union and the Green Climate Fund and is the Facility Manager for the Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa, a EUR 126 million multi-donor results-based financing facility funded by Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden and USAID. Read more on www.nefco.int