Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources Nancy Tembo has launched a new fund to reduce deforestation and improve energy efficiency.
The $1.1 million (about K825 million) Malawi Clean Cooking Fund is being supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USaid) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The launch, held yesterday in Lilongwe, was also presided over by USAid deputy mission director Dr. Fenton Sands, and FCDO deputy development director Martin Dawson.
A statement issued yesterday indicates that the fund will support entities aiming to improve the adoption of market-based improved cook stove and alternative cooking energy supply chain solutions for urban Malawi, and the delivery and adoption of fuel-efficient cooking technologies in select rural areas.
Sands is quoted in the statement as having said the US Government is proud to support the Malawi Clean Cooking Grant Fund.
He said: “The fund will be instrumental as we work toward a sustainable energy future for Malawi and will be an important mechanism to support private-sector partners in their efforts to develop and disseminate clean cooking solutions for Malawi.”
On his part, Dawson said the UK is delighted to work with the US and Malawi Government to reduce Malawi’s dependence on illegal and unsustainably-produced charcoal and accelerate the shift to cleaner and more sustainable alternative sources of energy, such as bamboo briquettes and liquefied petroleum gas.
“The solutions supported through the Malawi Clean Cooking Fund will not only help protect Malawi’s forests and mitigate Malawi’s greenhouse gas emissions; they will also reduce indoor air pollution and create employment opportunities with the private sector,” he said.
The Malawi Clean Cooking Grant Fund, managed through USaid and FCDO, has been established under the Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests in Malawi Activity, co-funded by the US and UK Government to support Malawi in the promotion of sustainable forest management and promote sustainable energy options in selected urban areas.
The fund will award multiple performance-based grants ranging from $10 000 to $250 000 per two-year project. Phase one applications for the Malawi Clean Cooking Grant Fund are due on December 9 2020. For more information on the Clean Cooking Fund, contact grants@tetratechmalawi.org.–US Embassy.
