2022 Year-End Letter
Solutions to complex problems are rarely straightforward or easy. That’s certainly been the case for clean cooking.
However, after years of concentrated effort and hard-fought gains, 2022 has shown clear signs of progress and a pathway toward our shared goals.
Take investment. Based on initial estimates, total sector financing this year is easily more than double what was reported in 2020. Innovative business models and visionary entrepreneurs are leading the way, bolstered by investment mechanisms such as the CCA-supported Spark+ Africa Fund, which launched this year and has already raised more than $40 million.
Climate finance is another area that’s helping to overcome the sector’s long-existing investment gap, while new consumer research is showing that customers are not only using the products they buy, but also that they’re happy with their purchases.
This growth is truly laying the foundations for a sustainable clean cooking industry.
Clean cooking also continues to gain traction at global convenings, showing up front and center at crucial events like the recent COP27 in Egypt. This is a significant shift compared to my first climate conference, where clean cooking was barely mentioned at all.
Perhaps nowhere was this momentum more palpable than at this year’s Clean Cooking Forum in Accra, Ghana. With a record-setting 700 participants from 100 countries and another 2,500+ watching online, the Forum provided the stage for new announcements, partnerships, and investments, all with the formidable goal of achieving clean cooking for everyone. I was so pleased to see so many of you in person, and I was also proud that, for the first time, the Forum included a youth delegation, as well as dedicated resources for francophone participants.
Next year is already lining up to be another promising one. I look forward to continuing to build on the achievements of CCA and our partners to strengthen the ecosystem and expand clean cooking to all those who still need access.
Warm regards,–
Dymphna van der Lans
CEO, Clean Cooking Alliance
