Determined to improve access to clean cooking solutions in Africa, Royal Philips, a diversified health and well-being company, has partnered SNV, a non-profit international development organisation to introduce a clean and efficient household cooking stoves to rural communities across the continent.
The new partnership, which aims to improve the health, well-being and income of rural populations while having a direct positive impact on the environment, will also include research, community education and access to financing for adopting clean cooking technologies.
In a statement obtained by BusinessDay, Christoph Castellaz, head of strategy and new business development, Philips Africa, said: “We welcome the opportunity to partner with SNV; Philips is passionate to invent and apply technology to help people but we need meaningful partnerships to co-create new solutions and new business models that can make innovations like our cook stove accessible and affordable to communities that need them the most.”
Andy Wehkamp, SNV’s director of renewable energy, in his remarks, affirmed that the partnership with Philips was a natural step.
“We believe that inclusive business can play an important role in poverty reduction and low carbon growth. We want to increase the income and health of low-income groups in a climate smart way, while at the same time generating benefits for participating companies. By joining forces with Philips we expect to reduce the amount of people dependent on open fires or inefficient cook stoves for cooking. This contributes to a better environment, while low-income groups can enjoy better health and living conditions,” Wehkamp said.
BusinessDay understands that Philips’ ambition is to create meaningful innovations that matter to people and address the key challenges that confront society.
In the past three years, Philips has invested in the design and manufacturing of an innovative fan driven cook stove that can improve the lives of those who rely on wood or biomass for their daily cooking
Likewise, SNV over the years, has invested in research to learn which cooking solutions are the healthiest, most economical, user-, and eco-friendly
“The organisation has extensive experience with increasing access to clean cooking solutions for low income communities. They collaborate with and build capacities of local retailers to promote clean cooking solutions and increase local availability of cook stoves,” the statement stated in part.
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According to the World Energy Outlook 2012, a staggering 2.6 billion people still depend on traditional cook stoves or open fires for cooking and heating their homes. The health and environmental risks of this are considerable. Every week, 75,000 people – mostly women and children – get sick or even die as a direct result of inhaling smoke. These issues both partners promised to tackle.
ODINAKA MBONU
