GHANA EFFICIENT CHARCOAL COOK STOVES
Location(s)
Accra, Ghana
Project Funding Date(s)
October 2010 & January 2011
Total Funds Disbursed
$6,175
Total Beneficiaries
Approximately 745 people
Project Delivery Partner
Not Applicable
Local Partner / Organization
Project Description
The vendors in the markets across Accra, most of whom are women, use traditional charcoal cook stoves to cook and prepare their food products for sale, or to cook and prepare meals in the household. As a result, they use large amounts of charcoal, which can be costly and leads to faster deforestation and higher CO2 emissions. energy4everyone partnered with IFL, a Ghanaian micro-finance institution, to distribute energy efficient charcoal cook stoves to interested vendors.
The project was structured as a micro-finance subsidy project. This approach has two main benefits. Firstly, it improves the sustainability of the project and the equipment as beneficiaries have a greater motivation to continue to use the equipment. Secondly, funds that are repaid by the beneficiaries will be made available for future project phases. Phase 2 was funded in large part by the capital repaid from Phase 1. In effect, the initial funds disbursed act as a form of endowment.
Positive Impact
The second phase of the project distributed cook stoves to various vendors at markets throughout the capital city of Accra and the city of Tamale in the north of the country. In total, 149 vendors received 185 efficient cook stoves, with 131 distributed in Accra and 54 in Tamale. The efficient cook stoves burn 40% less charcoal than traditional cook stoves due to a ceramic liner that retains heat. This allows the beneficiaries to save money because they consume and purchase less charcoal. In addition, the reduced charcoal consumption results in reduced CO2 emissions and, indirectly, reduces deforestation.
