Sylvia Duruson
BURN, Kenya’s leading clean cooking appliance manufacturer, has secured a $15 million investment from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The funding targets the distribution of BURN’s ECOA Electric Induction Cooker throughout East Africa. This innovative cooking solution features a three-piece stainless steel cookware set manufactured entirely in Kenya.
The EIB investment enables BURN to expand its Pay-As-You-Cook payment system. This technology-enabled financing solution makes clean cooking accessible to households unable to make full upfront payments for the appliances. The program supports BURN’s mission to transition over one million low-income households to electric cooking powered by renewable energy grids.
Operating across nine countries, BURN employs more than 3,500 people and has successfully distributed over five million clean cookstoves throughout Africa. The company’s electric and biomass stoves address critical challenges associated with traditional cooking methods. These solutions reduce indoor air pollution, decrease cooking time, and offer significant cost savings compared to conventional cooking fuels.
The EIB investment follows several recent funding successes for BURN. In early 2024, the company received $9.2 million from Marex to support production, distribution, and monitoring of clean cooking appliances across multiple African nations. This funding contributed to Key Carbon’s total investment of $45 million in BURN’s carbon credit projects spanning eight African countries.
Additional support arrived in April 2024 through a $12 million investment led by Key Carbon Ltd. and supported by Cartesian. This funding facilitates BURN’s distribution of electric cookstoves in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, while supporting biomass stove initiatives in Nigeria, DRC, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
BURN’s expansion continued with the establishment of its first assembly plant in Kano, Nigeria, during the second quarter of 2024. This facility strengthens the company’s capacity to provide affordable clean cooking solutions to Nigerian households. Peter Scott, BURN’s Founder and CEO, emphasizes that their Pay-As-You-Cook electric cooking solution has already launched successfully in Kenya and Tanzania, with grid systems utilizing 80-95% renewable energy.
The series of investments positions BURN to significantly impact Africa’s transition to clean cooking technologies. The company’s comprehensive approach combines manufacturing innovation, accessible payment solutions, and widespread distribution networks to address environmental, health, and economic challenges associated with traditional cooking methods.
