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Enabling Qapital
Spark+ Africa Fund

Clean and Modern Energy

The Importance of for Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa

Spark+ Africa Fund

2.3 billion people (opens in a new window), approximately a third of the world's population, rely on unhealthy and polluting cooking methods such as open fires and inefficient stoves which generate harmful household air pollution.

Spark+ Africa Fund

Impact of Traditional Cooking Methods:

In sub-Saharan Africa, around 960 million people (opens in a new window) cook with firewood, charcoal, and kerosene, with major social, environmental, and economic consequences:

« Changing the way families cook their food each day will slow climate change, drive gender equality, reduce poverty, and provide enormous health benefits. » - Wanjira Mathai (2021)

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    Environment

    • The production and use of firewood and charcoal for cooking contribute significantly to deforestation and forest degradation across the developing world, and in particular, sub-Saharan Africa where rates of deforestation are highest globally.
    • Estimates suggest that approximately half of the continent's deforestation and forest degradation is due to traditional cooking practices (The Guardian (opens in a new window)).
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    Climate

  • Spark+ Africa Fund

    Health

  • Spark+ Africa Fund

    Poverty

    • There is also a meaningful financial burden associated with energy poverty. While energy expenditures are typically in the range of 10% of total family budgets, in some of the poorest households, far more can be spent on unhealthy and polluting fuels (WB Report (opens in a new window)).
    • In South Africa, for example, up to 27% of total family budgets are spent on energy, including cooking fuels (MDPI (opens in a new window)).
    • In addition, in rural areas where the use of free biomass is prevalent, women can spend up to six hours daily gathering firewood, time which could otherwise be used for other purposes (IEA (opens in a new window)).

About Spark+ Africa Fund

Spark+ Africa Fund is the world’s first impact investment fund focused exclusively on clean and modern cooking solutions in developing countries. With a total AuM of $64 million, Spark+ finances companies that offer next-generation, distributed energy for cooking to the mass market in sub-Saharan Africa, including those that rely on electricity, LPG, biofuels, and other technologies.

Spark+ is a true « triple bottom line » fund, designed to deliver financial, social, and environmental returns by:

  • Spark+ Africa Fund

    Enabling millions of African families to stay healthy, save time, and reduce energy costs.

  • Spark+ Africa Fund

    Protecting the environment through reductions to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Spark+ Africa Fund

    All while tapping into a large and underserved market.

Spark+ was launched by:

  • Spark+ Africa Fund

    Enabling Qapital (EQ): A FINMA-regulated Swiss impact asset manager with over $700 million in advised assets and a global team of investment professionals. EQ serves as the fund manager.

  • Spark+ Africa Fund

    Stichting Modern Cooking (SMC): A Netherlands-based foundation which supports clean cooking access in developing countries. SMC serves as the manager of the fund’s technical assistance facility.

Spark+ provides debt and mezzanine capital to scalable companies throughout the value chain, including:

  • Appliance manufacturers.
  • Technology-enabled fuel utilities.
  • Carbon project developers.
  • Microfinance institutions.
  • Solar home system companies and mini-grid operators.

Investments range from $500,000 to $7 million, targeting companies with proven product-market fit and commercial traction.

Spark+ is financed by a mix of public and private investors including development finance institutions, pension funds, foundations, and family offices.

Spark+ Africa Fund

Portfolio Highlight: BURN Manufacturing

Spark+ Africa Fund’s first investment was in BURN Manufacturing, a leading producer of fuel-efficient cooking appliances with manufacturing capabilities in East and West Africa. To date, the company has achieved the following:

  • 17 million tons of CO2 emissions avoided.
  • 9.6 million tons of wood saved, contributing to forest preservation.
  • $700 million in fuel cost savings for customers.
Spark+ Africa Fund

Portfolio Highlight: Envirofit Article 6.2 Carbon Project in Ghana

Our latest case study highlights how clean cookstoves, locally produced in Ghana, are improving health outcomes, reducing emissions, and creating jobs - all supported by innovative carbon finance under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.By converting emissions reductions into carbon credits (ITMOs), the project makes clean cooking more affordable and sustainable for rural households.

Key Outcomes:

  • 60,000+ stoves deployed
  • 80% cut in toxic emissions
  • Verified carbon credits
  • Local jobs and manufacturing capacity strengthened
Download the full case study (opens in a new window)

Learn more about Spark+

For detailed information about Spark+, including the fund’s investment strategy, team, portfolio, press releases, and contact details, please visit sparkafricafund.com (opens in a new window).

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  2. a central bank, a public entity with professional treasury operations, a national or supranational public entity with professional treasury operations;
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You are kindly requested to contact us should you not fall within one of these categories of “Qualified Investor”.

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