OPEC Fund Clean Cooking Report 2024

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TABLE 2: Comparing Investment Need in Lower-Middle-Income Countries across SDGs

SECTOR

2030 SDG GOALS

ANNUAL INVESTMENT NEEDED (ESTIMATE)

Clean cooking

Universal clean cooking (SDG target 7.1.2)

US$8 billion per year

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)

Universal access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6)

US$28.4 billion per year

Food systems

Zero hunger (SDG 2)

US$265 billion per year

Health

Global health targets (SDG 3)

US$371 billion per year

Education

Quality education for all (SDG 4)

US$461 billion per year

Sources: For clean cooking, IEA (2023), A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All, https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/180b8bee-3d30-4436-abe0-9e93ca56b0bd/AVisionforCleanCookingAccessforAll.pdf For other SDG targets: UNCTAD website: The costs of achieving the SDGs: Resource, https://unctad.org/sdg-costing/resources

and evaluate a complex set of solutions in markets with low consumer affordability and with limited reliable data on sup- ply and demand trends for clean cooking across markets. While these challenges are significant, they are progressively being overcome as the sector develops new technologies and business models that increase the affordability of clean cook- ing. There are a growing number of international financiers interested in supporting clean cooking, deploying a range of financial instruments from technical assistance grants to re- sults-based financing, and a range of debt and equity offers. As the barriers to scaling up clean cooking are resolved, more financiers will likely be attracted.

The growth in private investment is encouraging, signaling a maturing market and the growing commercial viability of clean cooking enterprises. However, the investment is concentrat- ed on a few large players with the seven leading clean cook- ing firms receiving 90 percent of all investment. As of 2020, there were an estimated 450-500 firms fully dedicated to the manufacturing and distribution of cookstoves. 38 However, few of them have yet been able to reach the volumes and econo- mies of scale that investors are looking for. Potential investors face a range of barriers, including a lack of proven business models, lack of investible pipeline, concerns about investee profitability, and lack of operational history. 39 These barriers are compounded by the need for investors to understand

38 Energy Sector Management Assistance Program. (2020), https://documents1. worldbank.org/curated/en/937141600195758792/pdf/The-State-of-Access-to- Modern-Energy-Cooking-Services.pdf 39 Cowdrey, O., Lant, P., and Ashworth, P., (2023) Elucidating Finance Gaps through Clean Cooking Value Chain, Sustainability, 14(4), https://www.mdpi. com/2071-1050/15/4/3577

AN OPEC FUND KNOWLEDGE SERIES REPORT 2024

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