12 March 2021: "We are announcing a new partnership with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), to scale access to LPG clean cooking services in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
As a next generation utility, we manufacture, distribute and finance decentralised solar powered systems in developing countries – and we have been leveraging our innovative IoT technology to expand access to vital utilities. Bboxx Pulse®, our IoT technology-enabled comprehensive management platform, means we can remotely monitor, manage and deliver clean cooking solutions in a distributed and scalable model.
We have already positively impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the DRC with access to solar energy and now clean cooking facilities too, all available on a Pay-As-You-Go basis using mobile money. Following this latest financing of half a million dollars made up of a loan and a grant from UNCDF, we will scale-up our operations and bring our tried and tested LPG clean cooking services to thousands of people in the DRC, specifically targeting Goma, Bukavu, and Lubumbashi.
Only 4% of the DRC population has access to clean cooking facilities, which is a major stumbling block in meeting UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 (UN SDG 7). While UN SDG 7 includes access to clean and affordable cooking for everyone, we have found that this aspect is often overlooked.
This comes as the World Bank has found that lack of clean cooking services costs the world over $2.4 trillion a year due to the negative impacts of using wood and charcoal on people’s health, gender equality, the environment and lost economic opportunities.
Our financing with UNCDF shows significant momentum in our clean cooking activity. It’s a relevant part of our financing structure development as it complements the grant that we secured at the end of last year from the U.S. Agency for International Development to scale our clean cooking technology.
In addition, we are working with Trafigura to bring together our complementary expertise to fast-track progress on clean cooking access in Africa. On a global scale, we are also a founding member of the recently launched LPG4SDG7 Coalition, committed to accelerating the adoption of LPG as a cleaner alternative to help the four billion people who lack access to clean cooking globally.
It is encouraging to see the global community increasingly recognise the urgent need to take action on clean cooking. We hope that by forging partnerships with major organisations like the UNCDF, we can raise more awareness of this important issue, accelerate our impact and change even more lives for the better.
Keep an eye out for our latest updates, as we continue to transform lives and unlock potential through access to clean energy."
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About Bboxx: Bboxx is a next generation utility, transforming lives and unlocking potential through access to energy. Bboxx manufactures, distributes and finances decentralised solar powered systems in developing countries. It is scaling through forging strategic partnerships and its innovative technology Bboxx Pulse®, a comprehensive management platform using IoT technology. Through affordable, reliable, and clean utility provision, Bboxx is bringing people into the digital economy, creating new markets, and enabling economic development in off-grid communities and those living without a reliable grid connection. The company is positively impacting the lives of more than one million people with its products and services in over 35 markets, directly contributing to 11 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
So far, Bboxx has deployed more than 500,000 solar home systems. Bboxx has over 800 staff across nine offices including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, and Togo, with its head office in the UK and its manufacturing operations in China. In 2019, Bboxx was the winner of the Zayed Sustainability Prize in the Energy category – testament to the way the company is making a meaningful difference to people’s lives around the world.
About UNCDF: The UN Capital Development Fund makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs). UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development through three channels: (1) inclusive digital economies; (2) local development finance; and (3) investment finance.
