Sebastian Rodriguez is bringing digital technology to
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) distribution in order to accelerate access
to clean cooking fuel for millions of households. More than 727 million people
(four of every five households) in Sub-Saharan Africa
use wood
or charcoal for cooking their daily meals. Because cooking on an open fire
is equivalent to being exposed to the smoke of 400 cigarettes per hour,
contributing towards over 4.3 million deaths per year worldwide, it is
essential to increase access to affordable cleaner burning fuels.
Using mobile money technology and a proprietary smart
meter that can be attached to refillable cylinders, Rodriguez and the team
at KopaGas are digitizing LPG distribution, enabling a
pay-as-you-go business model. KopaGas has completed a commercial pilot in Dar
Es Salaam Tanzania in close collaboration with Oryx Tanzania, giving each participating household access
to a kit consisting of a stove, an LPG cylinder, a meter, and accessories,
after payment of a small commitment fee. The household then pays for the
service using mobile money and their meter automatically stops the gas flow
when the credit or the gases in the cylinder are depleted. The pilot has shown
a number of benefits including high consumer satisfaction, better user
understanding of consumption, improved asset management, and a reduced
need for cash management
Source: Good-University.
Source: Good-University.