KOKO supports launch of Kenyan Ethanol Cooking Fuel Industry Masterplan

Last week saw the official launch of the Kenya Ethanol Cooking Fuel (ECF) Industry Masterplan, a move set to grow the local production of bio-ethanol cooking fuel in the country and reduce reliance on imports, while creating a major new Kenyan bio-economy industry.

The Masterplan, commissioned by Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), was developed in close collaboration with Government, including the Ministries of Agriculture, Industrialisation, Energy and Environment, as well as key private sector players (including KOKO and our fuel partner, Vivo Energy Kenya).

With demand for bioethanol cooking fuel growing fast in Kenya, the study set out to assess what is required for local production to catch up.  The formal publication provides potential investors, policymakers, and researchers with the evidence base to guide the material development of bioethanol cooking fuel production, infrastructure and distribution systems.

The Masterplan – which focuses on Kenya’s potential to grow both cassava and sugarcane feedstock production – also makes targeted recommendations on policy measures that will support the industry’s development, with potential to spur the creation of hundreds of thousands of rural jobs and major investment into the Kenyan sugar industry.

The Masterplan highlights the impact potential that can be derived from growing Kenya’s local bioethanol production, including:

• ~370,000 rural jobs in the agriculture sector, which continues to be a critical driver of growth for the Kenyan economy
• KES 25 billion investment into Kenya’s sugar and cassava producing regions
• KES 180,000 additional annual income for smallholder farmers
• 54 million trees saved through reduced demand for charcoal
• KES 2.6 billion annual savings to Government due to reduced health burden from dirty cooking fuel
• Food security impact: investments in cassava and sugarcane production will boost agricultural yields, providing feedstock for bioethanol, as well as food for consumption

Sophie Odupoy, Head of Public Affairs at KOKO, commented: "We're proud to have contributed to the development of this important study. Bioethanol Fuel is a proven clean cooking fuel, and growing its use in Kenya will materially contribute towards achieving the Government's goal of universal access to clean cooking for all Kenyans by 2028, as well as Vision 2030."

"Increasing local production of this proven renewable fuel makes sense on every level.  Now, policymakers can play a critical role in enabling this Kenyan industry to develop: by creating a level taxation playing field with charcoal, consumers across Kenya will be able to access this clean fuel at a major discount to dirty fuels."