Bringing Gas Nearer to People
The business model is based on the innovative idea of selling a ‘clean cooking energy solution’ as a product, rather than LPG gas itself. The company offers families and businesses an alternative fuel source to charcoal or firewood, as well as selling add-ons like cook stoves and cylinders for refilling.
WANA reaches predominantly lower socio-economic status communities: Customers can buy its products through hire purchase or on a credit scheme, making an otherwise unaffordable product accessible to more people.
- Offering a variety of financing models for lower socio-economic communities to access cleaner fuel.
- Reducing household air pollution from charcoal or firewood burning.
- Creating employment opportunities for rural women by training them to run a WANA franchise.
- Cutting greenhouse gas emissions through substituting traditional energy sources like firewood and charcoal with LPG.
- Reducing deforestation for firewood and charcoal.
- Creating fuel savings for return customers who can refill canisters at a lower cost than purchasing a new canister.
- Offering jobs to women as franchisees to sell WANA’s products outside of the company’s main delivery areas.
Partners
WANA Energy Solutions Ltd. manages the complete value chain of LPG distribution in its line of business. It also trains women to become franchisees.
Okapi Trading Limited supplies WANA with LPG cook stoves, offering the company a 10% discount on wholesale prices.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development Uganda promotes LPG use in Uganda and works with WANA to draft baseline safety standards for the fuel’s use.
Uganda National Alliance for Clean Cooking works with WANA to develop a nationwide marketing strategy to encourage the use of LPG as clean energy.