• Spark+ Africa Fund granted $6.4 million in impact financing to Baobab Group Côte d’Ivoire, the country’s largest microfinance institution, to scale lending for clean cooking and LPG solutions.
• The initiative supports Côte d’Ivoire’s national goal to raise clean cooking access to 50%, up from 20% today, reaching 2.4 million additional households.
• The fund is linking microfinance and climate finance to drive an inclusive and replicable model for Africa’s energy transition.

As Côte d’Ivoire works to expand access to clean cooking solutions, the Spark+ Africa Fund, managed by Enabling Qapital, is turning to microfinance to accelerate progress.

The fund announced on November 11 a $6.4 million impact credit line to Baobab Group Côte d’Ivoire, the country’s largest licensed microfinance institution authorized to take deposits. The facility will allow Baobab to increase loans for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other clean cooking solutions for its customers.

This partnership aligns with the National Energy Pact, under which the Ivorian government aims to lift access to clean cooking from 20% to 50%. Achieving this target would enable 2.4 million more households to adopt safer, more sustainable cooking methods.

The country’s strategy combines modern fuel adoption and the distribution of improved cookstoves, such as the 300,000 units deployed since 2021 under the Baleine Project led by ENI. Authorities are also working to overcome economic and cultural barriers that still hinder the large-scale adoption of clean cooking technologies.

The Baobab partnership is part of a broader series of Spark+ initiatives aimed at supporting Africa’s energy transition. In August 2025, Spark+ invested $1.23 million in Ghana’s Henos Energy to expand LPG distribution, and earlier collaborated with Envirofit to introduce Africa’s first tradeable carbon credits linked to improved cookstoves.

In November 2024, the fund also provided $3 million to Altech Group in the Democratic Republic of Congo to scale local production of efficient stoves.

By combining local microfinance networks with climate-focused capital, Spark+ seeks to make clean energy financing accessible, scalable, and socially inclusive. If successful, the Ivorian experience could serve as a template for West African countries still struggling with limited clean cooking access.

This article was initially published in French by Abdoullah Diop

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum