A Young Entrepreneur’s Journey to Expanding Clean Cooking in Botswana
Granny Lesiamang is the founder and CEO of Clauseph Enterprises, a youth-led and impact-driven startup increasing access to clean cooking by manufacturing solid biomass and low-cost, energy-efficient cookstoves.
CCA spoke to Lesiamang about her achievements and challenges as an entrepreneur in Botswana.
This story is part of a series showcasing women leaders in the clean cooking sector.
“During the [COVID-19] pandemic lockdowns, I was home with my family in the village and could vividly see my family’s and other families’ struggles. Movement was restricted and money was tight. We could not afford LPG gas for the five of us then, so we used firewood. I realized how many couldn’t afford LPG even before the pandemic,” Lesiamang recalls
This sobering experience was the wake-up call that led her to take action.
A mining engineer by training, Lesiamang knew early on that she was not going to follow a traditional career path. She began learning more about the cooking circumstances in her community and their various consequences. “Using firewood to cook affects households financially and poses a significant health hazard to women and girls who are the primary caregivers in homes and prepare most meals,” she said. “I read about briquette production in East Africa and was interested to see how that could apply to Botswana, where most still use firewood and cannot afford LPG.”
Lesiamang went on to found her own clean cooking manufacturing company, Clauseph Enterprises. “I thought of using agricultural and biomass waste for cooking fuel, which would simultaneously solve energy access, be affordable, and clean up the environment,” she said
Clauseph Enterprises manufactures low-cost, clean, and efficient biomass cookstoves and solid biomass fuel from encroaching bush trees, which helps to preserve the natural grasslands and prevent land degradation. Run by women and youth, Clauseph Enterprises aims to empower individuals both within the company and as a result of its products. Lesiamang advocates for fostering youth leadership and women’s participation in clean cooking and uses her company to elevate their voices. “In my work, I am interested in promoting women, at every level, starting from the production level, to know their ideas matter; they are needed and are essential,” Lesiamang said. She is aware that women may face different biases and constraints as entrepreneurs, which she sees as even more reason not to give up. “Don’t consider your gender a barrier; it is a superpower,” she advised.
One of Lesiamang’s proudest moments was creating a functioning product prototype. “Translating an idea into a working prototype gave me all the confidence I needed to know we could do this, and it could work and deliver the impact I believed it could,” she said. “I feel glad that I could develop an idea which not only gives women a job, but also creates products that improve their livelihoods.”
Lesiamang’s company was able to scale up after receiving a grant from 1000gretas, a non-profit supporting sustainable innovations. They have since manufactured and distributed their biomass stove products to nearby food vendors and sold improved biomass stoves to local households. Her company also donates clean cooking products to those who are unable to afford them.
Like most entrepreneurs, Lesiamang has faced her share of obstacles. “It has been an educative, edifying journey, but very challenging and stretching,” she said. “Being a small team, I must be in production while at the same time handling the admin and the stakeholder outreach. There have been many challenges in accessing funding, training opportunities, and a supportive ecosystem.”
Lesiamang advises all aspiring entrepreneurs to learn how to effectively manage a company. “Being able to design and produce innovative technologies on its own is not enough. Business management and marketing are the most crucial,” she said. “Building a successful enterprise will sometimes be overwhelming, but I have come to realize that’s the story of entrepreneurship.”
