SESCOM's clean-cooking work spans seven years, multiple regions, and dozens of partner programmes. Along the way, ten lessons have surfaced consistently — lessons that anyone scaling clean cooking in East Africa would benefit from internalising before launching their own programme.
1. eCooking is a system transformation, not a product
You are not selling an appliance — you are replacing a fuel, a habit, a kitchen layout, a daily routine, and in many cases a household decision-making structure. Treat the rollout accordingly.
2. Market creation is essential
Demand has to be built through awareness, demonstrations, and behaviour-change campaigns. Cooking diaries and live demonstrations work; brochures and TV ads do not.
3. Financing drives adoption
Flexible models — VICOBA / SACCOS group financing, layaway, on-bill repayment — are critical to overcome the high upfront cost. Without them, even households who would save money long-term cannot get past the cash barrier.
4. Fuel stacking is reality
Households use multiple fuels at once. The transition from charcoal to electric is gradual, not binary. Programme design has to expect partial conversion in year one and full conversion later.
5. Reliability matters
Grid quality directly affects trust and adoption. Reliable supply and backup solutions improve customer confidence; bad service experiences set the whole market back.
6. Distribution is costly
Last-mile delivery in scattered urban settlements requires strong community networks and women-led sales channels. There is no cheap shortcut to physical presence.
7. Compliance is key
Adhering to rules, regulations, tax, and quality standards underpins business sustainability. Cutting corners on compliance erodes customer trust and forecloses partnerships with serious funders.
8. Localisation is key
Training and language adaptation directly improve user adoption. Swahili manuals, locally-customised buttons (Tanzanian staple foods), and tutorial videos make the difference between an appliance that gets used and one that sits on a shelf.
9. Quality builds trust
Poor products undermine the entire market. One bad EPC in a community can set back adoption across a whole VICOBA group.
10. Ecosystem approach is required
Success depends on coordination across energy, finance, policy, and partnership networks. No single actor — not the manufacturer, not the utility, not the financier — can scale clean cooking alone.
Key message: eCooking scale-up requires an integrated system approach, not standalone interventions. Programmes that ignore this end up funded but not adopted.