Partner session II: Accelerating clean cooking investments in Kenya & East Africa

More than USD 2 billion were mobilised in financial pledges from governments and the private sector at the first Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa in Paris in 2024. Building on this momentum, the second Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa taking place in Nairobi in July 2026 aims to accelerate the efforts with new financial commitments, concrete investment decisions and policy initiatives. 

 While clean cooking has been significantly elevated on the international agenda in recent years, translating financial pledges into bankable projects remains a challenge.  

This session will examine the criteria that make clean cooking projects investable in East Africa, drawing from real cases across private sector business models, utility-led market development and financial institutions engagement. Kenya’s experience — from successful manufacturing to utilityled pilots and innovative financing — provides a practical entry point for understanding what makes clean cooking investable across the region. 

More specifically, the session will: 

• Identify investment structures that are proving most viable for Kenyan and East African clean cooking companies.  

• Define the role that financial institutions can realistically play and what is needed for them to engage at scale. 

• Clarify the conditions required for electric cooking becoming a viable business for utilities and minigrid operators.