Malawi has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51 percent by 2040, against a business-as-usual baseline.
Achieving this target will require significant investment in practical climate solutions, as well as access to international climate finance.
As part of these efforts, BURN, a leading African clean cooking company and the continent's largest distributor of clean cooking appliances, hosted a delegation from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change in Njuli area, Blantyre, to tour some of its ongoing work.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The visit, led by Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Chipiliro Mpinganjira alongside Principal Secretary Dr Misheck Muthali, revealed that the company covers several clean cooking technologies, with more than 160,000 biomass stoves distributed across Lilongwe, Mwanza and Blantyre. Some of these stoves are fitted with digital sensors to help monitor usage and support carbon-credit activities.
From the factory to the household, the government delegation travelled to Ndirande Ward in Blantyre to meet two BURN customers and see firsthand how clean cooking technologies are affecting households directly.
One customer, Margaret Chirwa, shared her experience after switching to BURN's ECOA Char stove.
"ECOA Char is very good, and it has helped me save a lot of money on fuel," she said.
Chirwa explained that her daily fuel expenditure had fallen from approximately K4,000 to K2,000, while she continued to prepare three meals a day.
She also described noticeable improvements in her children's health, saying they had experienced fewer unnecessary coughs since switching from a traditional biomass stove to the ECOA Char, which produces significantly less smoke.
Her experience illustrates the connection between climate finance and everyday household benefits. Beyond the potential for carbon credits, investment in clean cooking can translate into reduced household fuel costs, lower exposure to smoke and improved access to more efficient cooking technologies.
The visit also highlighted the broader economic and environmental opportunities presented by Malawi's emerging carbon market.
Company officials said investment in BURN's operations is supporting not only the distribution of cleaner cooking technologies, but also local manufacturing, job creation, technology deployment and wider climate action.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
At the same time, carbon finance can help mobilise international capital for projects that contribute to Malawi's national climate priorities.
Continued collaboration between the Government of Malawi and private-sector partners will therefore be important in strengthening the country's carbon market, attracting international climate finance, and ensuring carbon projects deliver meaningful environmental and social benefits.
As Malawi continues to implement its climate agenda, BURN says it remains committed to expanding access to clean cooking across the country.
The company has set a target of distributing 2 million stoves in Malawi by 2030, while continuing to expand locally manufactured solutions, grow its national distribution footprint, and work closely with government and other partners.
The Njuli visit demonstrated how these efforts can connect national climate commitments with tangible outcomes on the ground -- from manufacturing facilities and local jobs to cleaner kitchens and reduced household fuel costs.
For Malawi, scaling such solutions could play an important role in turning climate ambitions into practical action, while demonstrating how local industry and international climate finance can work together to support a cleaner, more resilient future.
