March 2017
Message from Alex Evans, President & Chairman, Operating Committee
Dear Friends,
We have had a very busy first quarter and expect a very busy and very exciting 2017. We have several new projects underway and several more in the pipeline. We are excited to share our plans with you.
In February, we launched the first microloan program in Cameroon dedicated to helping low-income families purchase LPG equipment for cooking, called “Bottled Gas For Better Life”. Cameroonian microfinance institutions were not previously addressing consumer demand for LPG finance. Response from consumers and program partners has been very encouraging, with community demand for loans already exceeding the initial program goals.
A second, larger rollout of LPG microloans is planned, with the objective of expansion to a country-wide scope supported by a national network of Cameroonian microfinance institutions. The program also builds on GLPGP’s work with the Government and private sector in Cameroon over the past two years to create a first-of-its-kind, consensus based national LPG Master Plan, adopted by the Cameroon Government late last year for implementation in 2017. The Plan target is for 58% of Cameroon households to use LPG by 2035, up from 12% today.
GLPGP has also broadened its research agenda. We are engaged with leading international research institutions in a study to understand the health and climate benefits of LPG use in Cameroon. We have partnered with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Gates Foundation in a new, five-year, multi-country study on the effects of LPG use for cooking on health. We have also just completed a new report assessing the vast demand for LPG in Ghana that can be unlocked by that country’s successful implementation of its new national LPG policy, developed with GLPGP's assistance.
This edition of our newsletter also introduces a new section called “Expert Voices,” which is a platform for sector leaders to share their views on aspects of clean cooking. In this edition, the spotlight is on public health expert, Dr Elisa Puzzolo, an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool, UK, and a leader in the development of the World Health Organization guidelines on household air pollution.
You can also keep updated on the progress of our work throughout the year by following us on Twitter @globallpg.
From all of us at GLPGP, we wish you a healthy, clean, climate-neutral, and productive 2017.
Warm regards,
Alex Evans
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