BURN, Kenya’s leading manufacturer of clean cooking appliances, has secured a $15 million investment from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to advance its electric cooking initiative in East Africa. This funding will enable BURN to expand the distribution of its ECOA Electric Induction Cooker, an innovative cooking solution featuring a locally manufactured three-piece stainless steel cookware set.
A key component of this initiative is BURN’s Pay-As-You-Cook system, a technology-driven payment model designed to make clean cooking appliances more accessible to households unable to afford the full upfront cost. This system supports BURN’s broader mission of transitioning over one million low-income households to electric cooking powered by renewable energy grids.
BURN, which operates in nine countries across Africa, employs over 3,500 people and has distributed more than five million clean cookstoves. The company’s electric and biomass stoves offer significant environmental and economic benefits, reducing indoor air pollution, cutting down cooking time, and providing substantial cost savings compared to traditional cooking fuels.
This EIB investment follows several other significant funding rounds for BURN in 2024. In early 2024, BURN received $9.2 million from Marex to support the production and distribution of clean cooking appliances across Africa. This funding added to Key Carbon’s total investment of $45 million in BURN’s carbon credit projects across eight African countries.
In April 2024, BURN secured a further $12 million investment led by Key Carbon Ltd. and Cartesian, aimed at facilitating the distribution of electric cookstoves in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, while also supporting biomass stove initiatives in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania, and Mozambique.
BURN’s continued expansion also saw the establishment of its first assembly plant in Kano, Nigeria, during the second quarter of 2024. This facility strengthens BURN’s ability to deliver affordable, clean cooking solutions to Nigerian households. According to Peter Scott, BURN’s Founder and CEO, the Pay-As-You-Cook solution has already been successfully launched in Kenya and Tanzania, with grids utilizing 80-95% renewable energy.
These investments position BURN to significantly impact Africa’s transition to clean cooking technologies. Through a combination of innovative manufacturing, accessible payment solutions, and extensive distribution networks, BURN is addressing the environmental, health, and economic challenges posed by traditional cooking methods.
