DRC
Since 2019, EnDev has been working in Eastern Democtratic Republic of the Congo with a focus on Idjwi Island (Sud Kivu) and the cities of Bunia (Ituri), Goma (Nord-Kivu), Bukavu, Uvira (Sud-Kivu) and Kalemie (Tanganyika). This low-income region has one of the lowest electricity access rates in the world (1% in rural areas) and is chronically affected by political crises and armed conflict. In 2024 alone, 3 million people fled their homes due to conflict in the east of the country, further increasing the share of internally displaced people in the intervention areas. EnDev’s intervention areas are home to approx. 6.8 million people in need. Families spend around USD 30 per month on firewood and charcoal, a significant share of which is produced by armed groups hidden in Virunga National Park.
Technologies used in this project
- Improved cookstoves
Country data
- People with access to modern cooking energy: 103,521*
- MSMEs with access to modern energy services: 35*
- *Achievements until December 2024
EnDev’s implementing partner in DRC, the AVSI Foundation, works in three eastern provinces of the country to increase the use of improved cookstoves for cleaner, more efficient cooking that improves health and reduces pressure on forests since 2019. businesses with modern electricity access.
Approach
EnDev promotes sustainable development and access to energy through the promotion of clean cooking (including urban eCooking) and the promotion of productive use of energy on the mini-grids on Idjwi Island.
Clean Cooking
The Clean Cooking component aims at reducing deforestation and CO2 emission while promoting local development. We train local artisans to produce and sell Improved Cook Stoves (ICS). Our holistic approach ensures that their entrepreneurial activity is sustainable, through periodical training and continuous coaching on technical production, business management and marketing. EnDev also provides means of production and distribution through results-based incentives. The project also facilitates the establishment of distribution networks, linking producers to sellers, and coordinates awareness raising campaigns to spread knowledge about the importance of Clean Cooking for health, the environment, and household economy.
Productive Use of Energy
The PUE component starts in 2022 and has the objective of developing the local renewable energy market through the promotion of the utilisation of efficient electric appliances within small and micro-enterprises. The activities will be concentrated on Idjwi Island (South Kivu Province), where EnDev will benefit from the synergy with AVSI’s former interventions on rural electrification.
Impacts
In 2024, increased insecurity in North and South Kivu led to increasing internally displaced populations around urban areas. In this context, three new improved cookstove producers were established in Goma and Bukavu to meet increasing demand from poor and displaced persons in these areas. All three producers received technical training in the
construction of improved cookstoves. Two also benefited from business management and marketing training and support for scaling production. The project also supported 42 new improved cookstoves vendors. All vendors received marketing kits and training in sales techniques to enhance their business income and promotional efficacy. 50 households participating in an eCooking pilot and were divided into four groups. The first group will receive electric pressure cookers, the second single induction hobs, the third double induction hobs, and the fourth a combination of single induction hobs and electric pressure cookers. The test will assess the affordability, usage, and usefulness of
the devices for households; whether they can effectively replace traditional cooking methods, and whether the electricity system can support their use during peak usage. Under the EnDev Innovation Fund, larger pilots of eCooking devices in Goma were also prepared in partnership with the local metrogrid providers.
Regarding the Productive Use of Energy, 11 local small businesses received support for buying appliances, and were trained on the use of their electric appliances and on business management. An agreement with a local microfinance institution to provide micro-loans to businesses was also closed. This will allow more entrepreneurs to afford appliances in the future, as the ability to pay is a significant hurdle for most businesses on Idjwi. Procurement delays slowed the component, but activity should pick up in 2025.
