The West Africa Clean Cooking Fund helps transform practices in a region where more than 267 million people are still dependent upon traditional biomass fuels for cooking causing significant health issues, especially for women, and environmental challenges with deforestation and increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Funding Information

• The Fund will be accelerated by a US$1 million.

Eligible Projects

• Behavior-Change Campaigns
  • Promoting sustainable cooking practices through engaging activities, cooking classes, and demonstrations on preparing traditional foods with LPG, encouraging long-term adoption of cleaner cooking methods.
• Consumer Education
  • Empowering communities with knowledge on the health, economic, and environmental benefits of LPG, helping individuals make informed decisions that support cleaner and safer cooking practices.
• Consumer Financing
  • Expanding access to LPG through microfinance and flexible financing options, making clean cooking solutions affordable and enabling households to transition smoothly from traditional fuels.
• Women’s Empowerment
  • Empowering women as advocates for clean cooking by offering training, leadership opportunities and resources to enhance their roles in household energy decisions and economic activities, thereby fostering healthier communities.

Nations and Beneficiaries

• The West Africa Clean Cooking Fund will target projects in the nations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Beneficiaries include households, communities, and organizations dedicated to advancing clean cooking solutions.

Eligibility Criteria

• Registered NGOs and local organizations with strong financial stability and proven experience in community outreach or clean energy projects will be selected to manage and execute funded initiatives. While they cannot directly fund governments, they support collaborative efforts with them to facilitate community access, promote knowledge exchange and strengthen project impact.
• Implementers must submit quarterly progress reports covering distribution metrics, training sessions and community engagement. Regular audits may be conducted to ensure transparency and effective use of funds.
• All project expenses must strictly adhere to the predefined budget limits set by the fund. Implementers are responsible for ensuring that all LPG equipment meets national and international safety standards for safe installation and operation and must comply with ethical and regulatory requirements throughout the project’s duration.

For more information, visit Worthington Companies Foundation.