Call for Electric Cooking Solutions for Sub-Saharan Africa

In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 600 million people do not have access to electricity and 2/5 of the African population on average does not have access to a reliable supply of electricity even when connected to the grid. In these areas cooking energy mostly comes from biomass, either wood or charcoal, which poses important health issues due to smokes (specifically to women and children) and environmental issues as it is a cause of deforestation. 

Therefore, ENGIE Africa is looking for electric cooking solutions for access to clean cooking that align with any of the following goals:

• Providing affordable, fast-deployed and energy-efficient access to electric cooking for households connected to off grid mini-grid in remote rural areas
• Taking advantage of digital solutions through mobile economy, efficient payment platforms and powerful data platforms
• High growth potential offering the opportunity to replicate the model elsewhere

Earnings and Benefits for the selected projects: 

• Funding of a testing phase : the winner will be able to test the efficiency and viability of his solution in the relevant environment, within the Engie Africa business framework over a period of 6 months 
• Based on the results of the testing phase, the integration within the Engie Africa business portfolio and further co-development of the project. 

Detailed description:

ENGIE Africa is a long-term partner for Africa’s growing energy needs. It has over 50 years of experience on the continent and employs 3,000 people of which 98% are Africans.  ENGIE now has over 3,000 MW of energy capacity,  it is a leader in energy services and provides clean off-grid electricity to more than 2 million people.  

Africa’s business context is particular and needs new models and technologies which are tailored to its specific needs. 

In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 600 million people do not have access to electricity and 2/5 of the African population on average does not have access to a reliable supply of electricity even when connected to the grid. ENGIE Africa recognizes the enormous potential of off-grid solutions and aspires to give access to off-grid green electricity to 30 million people by 2025 thanks to off grid mini-grids and solar home systems.

In these areas cooking energy mostly comes from biomass, either wood or charcoal, which poses important health issues due to smokes (specifically to women and children) and environmental issues as it is a cause of deforestation. 

Specifically for these reasons, ENGIE Africa is looking for electric cooking solutions for access to clean cooking that align with any of the following goals:

• Providing affordable, fast-deployed and energy-efficient access to electric cooking for households connected to off grid mini-grid in remote rural areas
• Taking advantage of digital solutions through mobile economy, efficient payment platforms and powerful data platforms
• High growth potential offering the opportunity to replicate the model elsewhere

Eligibility and selection criteria: 

• Innovative nature of the solution
• Technology Readiness
• Energy-efficiency (ideally label)
• Maturity of project/solution: the solution must exist physically at the time of application. Projects at the concept stage will not be selected
• Coherence of the proposed business model
• Feasibility/ economic viability
• Ability to launch project quickly / Ease of implementation

Selection procedure and provisional timeline :

• Launch of the call for projects: May 6th, 2019
• Deadline for submission of applications: June 6th, 2019
• Analysis and selection of the finalist files: June 15, 2019
• Shortlisted project teams will be invited to 1st round pitches session via Skype, week commencing June 17
• Presentation pitch of the finalists in front of the jury with the aim of better understanding the projects
• Final and announcement of the winners: July - August 2019