[Stoves] ECO-FUEL AFRICA WINS THE TITLE "EEP PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2015"

Thu Dec 17 07:06:04 CST 2015

From: News [mailto:news-bounces at energy4africa.net] On Behalf Of Jonker
Klunne, Wim
Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2015 18:30

Press release 15.12.2015 

The Ugandan based Social Enterprise Eco-Fuel Africa won the prestigious
title "Project of the Year 2015" at the annual Knowledge Exchange Forum
(KEF) arranged by the Energy and Environment Partnership Programme of
Southern and East Africa (EEP S&EA). 

As part of its knowledge sharing mandate, the Energy & Environment
Partnership programme has just concluded its yearly "Project of the Year
Award" process. More than 20 applications were received for this prestigious
award that aims at recognising the excellent work done and impressive
development impact achieved by projects supported by EEP.

At the yearly Knowledge Exchange Forum the two finalists for this year's
award were asked to present their project: Mobisol's off grid solar energy
solution that combines affordable payment plans via mobile phone,
comprehensive customer service and innovative remote monitoring technology
and the Eco-fuel Africa in Uganda on affordable, clean fuel solutions to
fight the energy problem in Uganda.

After both projects presented their respective project the jury came to the
difficult task to announce the winner of this year's award as both project
have demonstrated substantial poverty reduction and developmental impacts.
Eventually Eco-fuel Africa was awarded the title "EEP Project of the Year
2015".

Sanga Moses, the Energy Innovator and CEO of Eco-fuel Africa, told the
audience how he came about to fight the energy problem in Uganda. "On a day
that I made a journey to meet my mother I met kid sister carrying wood and
as she saw me she started crying. First I thought she was happy to see me
but then I found out the she cried because she was tired to miss school at
least twice a week to carry wood instead of attending school". Seeing his
younger sister crying and on the verge of losing the only opportunity she
had to improve her life, inspired Sanga to think about an alternative source
of fuel. To solve this problem Sanga quit his office job and with savings of
just 500 USD he came up with an idea that he hopes that will fix part of the
energy crises in Uganda.

He started Eco-fuel Africa, a Social Enterprise that works with the local
communities in Uganda to convert locally sourced farm and municipal waste
into clean cooking fuel briquettes that averts the use of wood-based fuels
that depletes the forest. The users of the briquettes benefit from a product
that burns longer, burns cleaner and is substantially cheaper than the
charcoal that is regularly used. 

Up till now Eco-Fuel Africa has created over 5,800 jobs for the people at
the base of the pyramid by creating income sources for over 3,000 farmers
and over 2,000 micro-retailers. The business model of Eco-Fuel Africa is
simple. Farmers burn their farm waste, like coffee husk, sugarcane waste and
corn waste, in basic kilns made out of used oil drums to create a char that
can be turned into briquettes. These briquettes are then distributed by a
network of micro-retailers that are exclusively single mothers as Sanga
initial motivation for the business was to enable kids of single parents to
enrol and stay in school. The strength of the business idea behind Eco-fuel
Africa is that it brings an added social value to the local community by its
decentralised approach that keeps the profits among local farmers, briquette
producers, retailers and consumers.

Thanks to the funds received by EEP, Eco-Fuel Africa has been able to
drastically scale up and fast track its business and today they reach over
56,000 households on a daily basis, provides 5,800 jobs for people at the
base of the pyramid and has enabled 20,000 kids to enrol and stay in school.
But as Sanga points out, Eco-Fuel Africa is just in an early phase on its
"mission to solve the energy crises in Uganda".

As EEP "Project of the Year 2015" Eco-Fuel Africa did win the opportunity to
present this extraordinary project at the African Utility Week conference in
Cape Town from 17 - 19 May 2016. 

Learn more about Eco-fuel Africa: http://ecofuelafrica.co.ug/ 

Learn more about the EEP S&EA: http://eepafrica.org/ 

Learn more about the African Utility Week conference:
http://www.african-utility-week.com/ 

Contact info:

Eco-fuel Africa's CEO Sanga Moses: sbm72003 at yahoo.co.uk
<mailto:sbm72003 at yahoo.co.uk> 

EEP S&EA Grant Manager: Fred Eklund, fred.eklund at kpmg.fi
<mailto:fred.eklund at kpmg.fi> 

EEP S&EA Programme Director: Wim Jonker Klunne,
<mailto:Wim.JonkerKlunne at EEPAfrica.org> Wim.JonkerKlunne at EEPAfrica.org

About EEP S&EA:

The Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP) is a challenge fund that
promotes renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean technology
investments. The Programme supports projects which aim to provide
sustainable energy services to the poor and combat the climate change. The
EEP Programme in Southern and East Africa is jointly funded by the Ministry
for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA), The Austrian Development Agency (ADA)
and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID). EEP
implementation started in March 2010. The Programme is active in 13
countries in southern and East Africa.

 <http://eepafrica.org/> 

Wim Jonker Klunne

Programme Director

Energy and Environment Partnership Southern and East Africa (EEP
<http://eepafrica.org/> )

Wim.JonkerKlunne at EEPAfrica.org <mailto:Wim.JonkerKlunne at EEPAfrica.org> 

+27 (0)82 7197735 | Skype: wimklunne

 <http://energy4africa.net/JonkerKlunne/>
http://energy4africa.net/JonkerKlunne/

EEP is implemented by KPMG on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Finland.

The partnership is funded by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland (lead
donor), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the UK's Department for
International Development (DFID).

  _____  

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