Kisumu County waste to biogas project awarded at the Cities and Climate Change Technical Workshop

Delegates from 15 cities in sub-Saharan Africa participated in this 5-day event, to develop an understanding of climate risks and integrate resilient urban development into their infrastructure planning. It was at this workshop that Kisumu County secured funding from the European Investment Bank’s Gap Fund to carry out feasibility studies for its project focused on biogas production.

 

Kisumu is one of seven cities supported by Expertise France since 2020. In developing its Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP), Kisumu has paid particular attention to the issue of waste, a public health and environmental issue, as well as a way of mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the county. The Kisumu Integrated Climate Change Action Plan (KICCAP) has a specific strategy for dealing with waste, including a biogas project sheet.

 

The County of Kisumu has an extensive track record of committing to climate action at the local level. In particular, Expertise France has previously supported the county in implementing a biogas pilot project by developing a biodigester - which is a device that digests organic waste matter and produces burnable biogas and nutrient-rich slurry. This has been instrumental in demonstrating the county government's ability to initiate this kind of project. Access more details about this pilot project here.

 

This has been undertaken with additional support from AFD through a series of ad hoc coaching sessions to help the County in accessing climate finance. Kisumu County has used the project sheet and its experience from the pilot project as a springboard in developing the concept note and a pitch for the project, which was presented at the Cities and Climate Change Technical Workshop in Mombasa. The project’s key vision is, during its first four years, to service six informal settlements and four markets with anaerobic biodigesters. The goal is to use organic waste to produce biogas which can be accessed by local communities, as well as organic fertilizer to be used by farmers.

 

In an exciting turn of events, during the Cities and Climate Change Technical Workshop pitch contest, Kisumu County was voted as the best overall and subsequent winner in Africa for the best pitch presented at the contest! Likewise, the representatives from the Gap Fund were present at the workshop and expressed great interest in the project. Now, it has been confirmed that the European Investment Bank’s Gap Fund has committed to financing the pre-feasibility studies for this project, a major step forward in securing finance for climate action at the local level!