Strengthening Entrepreneurial Eco-System for Clean Cooking

Efforts to promote clean cooking, which utilises renewable energy sources like electricity, solar, and wind instead of polluting and non-renewable energy like wood, charcoal, and diesel, are gaining traction worldwide.

Overview

In Bangladesh, the SEE-CC project (Strengthening Entrepreneurial Eco-System for Clean Cooking), funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), is being implemented by SNV in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh. The project aims to create an enabling environment for clean cooking in Bangladesh by building skills, sharing information, and engaging key stakeholders such as SREDA (Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority) and IDCOL (Infrastructure Development Company) in the National Action Plan (NAP) 2030. This will lead to improved access to renewable energy for the MECA (Market for Energy-efficient Clean Appliances) and contribute to the stability of the cookstove sector.

Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5, 7, 13, 11, and 17, the SEE-CC, programme targets the provision of clean cooking solutions to at least 140,000 households, 35,000 buyers, and 60 local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in three districts of Bangladesh, namely Gazipur, Faridpur, and Jhenaidah.

Approach

The SEE-CC project will identify and profile e-cooking SMEs, including local, national, and international companies. The project will establish partnerships following a market participatory approach, including Access to Finance and Results-Based Financing (RBF) model to foster the MECA market to increase the market for access to clean energy. Also, enabling the MECA market environment to strengthen by working with the key stakeholders from the public and private sectors to sustain the efficient energy market.

 The project will introduce a unique Results-Based Financing (RBF) model as part of the Access to Finance to strengthen the local entrepreneurial ecosystem of national and local MECA marketers. The RBF model will support the expansion of MECA marketers in distributing clean and safe cooking products to rural households. Additionally, the SEE-CC project will support MECA marketers through the Innovation Grant Fund (IGF) to develop the market further. RBF and IGF financing models will strengthen and expand the market ecosystem by addressing business gaps or constraints in the MECA market based on geo-cluster locations.

Throughout the project, SNV will provide capacity-building initiatives for public and private sector partners, including training in clean cooking technologies, awareness-raising activities, and ensuring the availability of e-cooking products at the last mile in Bangladesh. In addition, to adoptive an entrepreneurial environment led by women and youth and raise awareness about market systems for clean cooking in Bangladesh, SNV will launch the Clean Cooking Incubator (CCI), a youth- and women-led programme that provides mentorship, financial resources, and technical expertise to start-up companies. Through the Clean Cooking Incubator program, SNV aims to expand its clean cooking initiatives and encourage new and innovative ideas to increase access to cleaner and more efficient cooking solutions, focusing on local socio-economic empowerment, opportunity creation, gender, and social inclusion as cross-cutting issues.

Objectives

The objectives of this project are:

• To develop a pipeline for MECA SMEs identification and build partnerships.

• To ensure access to finance for SME development i) Result base finance; ii) innovation grant fund.

• To enable the environment by strengthening key stakeholders’ capacity for business and knowledge development.