In the DRC, the World Bank-supported FOREST Program is scaling clean cooking through results-based financing for local enterprises. Backed by IDA and ESMAP, the effort aims to equip 500,000 households with cleaner, more affordable stoves, while creating jobs, reducing deforestation, and improving health.
In a modest workshop in Kinshasa, Florence Kavire is building a business that is changing how families cook. As CEO of Yawe Nissi, one of a growing number of local enterprises partnering with the World Bank’s Forest and Savanna Restoration Investment Program (FOREST), she is part of an ambitious effort to put clean cookstoves in the hands of 500,000 households across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — delivering cleaner air, lower energy bills, new jobs, and relief for the country’s beleaguered forests, all at once.
Backed by $20 million co‑financed by the International Development Association (IDA) and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), the FOREST Program spearheads a major expansion of clean cooking access in the DRC, contributing to the country’s Mission 300 commitment of reaching 40 million people with clean cooking by 2030. FOREST builds on the foundation laid by the other programs, notably the World Bank’s Improved Forested Landscape Management Project (IFLMP), which delivered more than 80,000 clean cookstoves across targeted communities. Drawing on operational lessons, the program is focusing on market-based approaches that can scale sustainably and reach more households.
Launched in February 2026, FOREST’s Results-Based Financing (RBF) mechanism is mobilizing private sector companies across the full value chain, from manufacturing and distribution to after-sales service and sustained usage of clean cookstoves. The first phase is already on track to deliver over 110,000 cookstoves this year. This effort will generate wide-ranging co-benefits including job creation, improved industry capacity and efficiency, reduced deforestation, improved health, and better access to energy. Phase II is underway, aiming for sales of 390,000 additional units. The program’s objective is to equip 500,000 households – or a total of 2.5 million people – with clean cooking solutions, with a target of 25% of recipients being female-headed households.
Under the RBF mechanism, companies are paid for verified results – the number of cookstoves sold to households – rather than for inputs or activities. This directly aligns financing with measurable outcomes, incentivizes performance and innovation, and helps de-risk investments for local enterprises. It also encourages competition on quality, service, and affordability.
Four Wins for People, Planet, and Prosperity
By coupling RBF with local private sector capacity and complementary investments in sustainable wood energy, FOREST is advancing a model that delivers fourfold wins:
- Better health: More efficient cookstoves reduce indoor air pollution – a leading environmental health risks linked to an estimated 2.9 million premature deaths globally every year. Cleaner combustion means less exposure to smoke for women and children, who are most often responsible for cooking and fuel collection in the DRC.
- Reduced emissions from deforestation: Improved cookstoves reduce charcoal and fuelwood consumption. In the DRC, this complements FOREST’s investments in 120,000 hectares of agroforestry, to provide a sustainable alternative source of wood energy and help ease pressure on primary rainforests.
- More affordable energy for households: Households spend less on energy when stoves burn fuel more efficiently. Lower charcoal consumption translates into direct cost savings, freeing up resources for other essential needs.
- Job creation: FOREST is partnering with local enterprises across the full value chain, from manufacturing and distribution to after-sales service, to build long-term market capacity for clean cooking solutions. As of today, 295 new jobs have been generated by supported clean cooking operators, with a target of 2,000 full-time equivalent jobs by 2030 – at least 10% for women. The program also supports a Kinshasa-based lab to strengthen stove quality testing and industry standards.
Drawing on Global Knowledge, Building Local Capacity
With financing and technical support from ESMAP, the DRC draws on a global reservoir of experience in clean cooking, leveraging lessons learned from diverse country contexts. Building on this global knowledge base, the DRC is strengthening the foundations for a market capable of delivering cleaner, safer, and more affordable cooking solutions at scale.
During a recent visit to the country, Michelle Hallack, Coordinator of ESMAP’s Clean Cooking Fund, joined the World Bank team, government counterparts and key stakeholders to take stock of progress and identify next steps. Discussions focused on strengthening cookstove testing and standards to ensure quality and consumer safety, as well as on progressively refining the RBF mechanism. As markets evolve, the RBF framework can be further adapted to different technologies and market segments, creating a pathway toward more outcome‑based financing to support the country’s Energy Compact targets.
The dialogue also highlighted emerging opportunities, including the potential role of carbon finance, synergies with new forest‑related funds, and stronger integration with the health system, particularly through awareness‑raising campaigns and capacity building. Together, these efforts illustrate how global expertise, national leadership, and innovative financing can come together to accelerate clean‑cooking access and deliver lasting development impact.
read more: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2026/07/24/a-market-based-approach-to-scaling-clean-cooking-in-drc
