Apply for the The Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests Accelerator Program 2022

The Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests Accelerator Program is designed to promote sustainable forest management in Malawi and promote sustainable energy options to maintain forest cover and reduce land-based emissions.

The Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests (MCHF) Accelerator Program is a capacity building initiative implemented by mHub in coordination with the Government of Malawi with  support from the USAID and UKaid co-funded MCHF Activity. This is a 6 months long program, aimed at supporting targeted commercially viable products that are promoted by Malawi Clean Cooking Fund grantees in Zomba, Blantyre, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu.

This cohort will be provided with support in distribution, marketing, and business training throughout the program. The early-stage entrepreneurs who will participate in the program will be linked with the Malawi Clean Cooking Fund (MCCF) Grantees (i.e. Dziwani Investments, Kawandama Hills Plantation, Emerging Cooking Solutions, Phata Outgrower Cooperative, 265Energy, UpEnergy, and other MCHF partners) so that they can get business of marketing and distributing commercially viable cooking solutions that they produce and distribute in major cities. 

Eligibility Requirements

Must be a business registered in Malawi and/or in the process of registration. Must be a start-up or post-revenue company.Must be distributing or willing to distribute Alternative Energy and Fuel-Efficient Cooking Technologies (AEFCT) products that are commercially viable and provide an alternative to illegal charcoal in Malawi primarily, they include technologies that are more fuel efficient and those that provide an alternative energy source to illegally and unsustainable charcoal. Improved technology products include the actual energy efficient product as well as the cooking fuel: e.g., locally produced fuel efficient Jiko charcoal stoves and cooking fuels such as LPG, briquettes, gasifiers, pellets and sustainable charcoalDemonstrate capacity and dedication to scale the business and demonstrate sound financial performance/practices.Deliver products, services, and business models that create jobs within the community.Have the founder(s) fulltime involved in the business or plan to be fulltime in the next 6 months.Innovative and want to scale their business.The business has an ambitious and dedicated team.All Applicants are required to obtain a unique entity ID through the sam.gov website. mHub and Tetra Tech will assist all applicants in obtaining Entity ID. Awards will not be issued until the conditions are met.The business must be based in the following districts; Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Zomba.

How the MCHF Accelerator works

• mHub will advertise MCHF Accelerator Program cohort 3 acceleration opportunity call for application for qualified, Alternative Energy and Fuel-Efficient Cooking Technologies(AEFCT).
• In this cohort forty applicants will be chosen from a pool of applications for the next round of the challenge.
• The forty shortlisted applicants will then go through a pitching workshop before pitching to a panel of judges, and the chosen applicants will go through a due diligence process before the final 20 candidates are chosen to be a part of the program.

Lastly, the final 20 participants will receive business development trainings, mentorship, and access to finance opportunities over the course of six months.

For More Information: Visit the Official Webpage of the Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests Accelerator Program 2022. Application Deadline: August 5, 2022