The Minister of Environment Dr Vincent Biruta commended BBOXX Rwanda on their revolutionary product, BBOXX Cook that is making cleaner and healthier cooking solutions accessible and affordable.

He made the remarks while visiting BBOXX Cook operations that use pioneering technology to expand the adoption of LPG clean cooking solutions to communities using a pay-as-you-cook gas meter technology – a move that is set to disrupt the status quo.

Biruta said the innovation comes at a time when government is sensitizing the public to transition from using firewood and charcoal to smart cooking as well as protecting the environment from air pollution and degradation.

"This is one of the many ways the environment will be protected and people will live healthier lives. There’s a need for local communities to embrace this clean cooking because it is in line with the government’s plans to reduce the dependence of wood as a source of energy,” he said.

To better understand the impact of the product, Biruta visited two customers who are already enjoying the BBOXX Cook experience.

Just a few months down the road, the innovation, which is still at its pilot phase, has transformed the lives of both household owners and the local business community.

Janviere Ingabire Ibereho, a mother of one daughter and a resident of Nyagatovu cell in Gasabo district says it’s been three months using the product and she has been able to save twice as much as she initially used with normal cooking gas.

"Through BBOXX Cook, I use the same amount of gas in two months that I previously used in three weeks, which means that I save twice as much I used to spend before,” she said.

Ibereho also pointed out that the innovation comes with the sincerity of the measures in volumes delivered as opposed to the normal gas suppliers who in most cases deliver lower gas volumes according to the client’s order.

"Since I started using Cook, I have since found out that some LPG gas suppliers (agents) cheat clients because there’s no way of the quantity you have been given which is not the case with Cook because the monitor shows me the litres I have bought, how much I use per cooking session and how much am left with,” she added.

BBOXX Cook allows anyone in the country to get a gas cylinder for only Rwf13,500 as down payment and pay Rwf 9, 000 for six subsequent months in order to own the cooker permanently.

If you already have a cooker, you only pay for the gas cylinder and just keep refilling it.

With the cost of cooking increasing, the option to pay in instalments and removal of unaffordable upfront costs that are a major barrier to clean cooking solutions, BBOXX Cook is democratising access to clean cooking through pay-as-you-go technology using mobile money for as little as Rwf 500.

"Not only does this product answer environmental and health issues, but it also promotes financial inclusion. People will be able to replenish their gas from Rwf 500. This is an important step in scaling up the usage of clean cooking solutions. Additionally, the fact that a customer can monitor the gas usage and is also alerted by the service provider helps to save time while cooking,” Biruta noted.

Fabrice Tuyisenge a cook in a restaurant in Kicukiro district recalls having to clean his kitchen very often because of soot covering walls, windows and a lot of time spent lighting up the charcoal stove.

"It is hard for a client to order for something when they notice that you are preparing their meals from a dirty place, secondly sometimes you prepare the meal but it carries smoke from the charcoal which in most cases clients do not even consume”

According to Justus Mucyo, the Managing Director of BBOXX, customers are appreciative of the flexible payments options and the convenience of refilling the gas.

"We have close to 100 customers that are enjoying our new PAYGO Gas service BBOXX Cook of which around 10% are small businesses and the rest are households mainly located in Gasabo district. According to surveys and focus groups, customers really appreciate the flexibility to pay for gas in small amounts and enhanced safety through home installation and canister delivery,” he said.

Mucyo also added that they constantly receive more interest from potential customers wanting to sign up for BBOXX Cook and there’s a plan commercially launch the service in 2020 in several districts of Kigali as we aim to combine efforts with the government to upscale clean cooking solutions.

"We can work together with Government to create awareness as the transition from charcoal to clean cooking will require combined private sector and Government efforts,” he added.

Currently, around 80 per cent of Rwandans still use firewood for cooking but, by 2024, Rwanda is targeting to have reduced the figure to 42 per cent.