KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION

KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION provides an alternative affordable fuel energy solution by turning coconut wastes into combustible bio-briquettes.

KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION aims to step into the energy sector by providing an alternative, affordable, and eco-friendly fuel energy solution; while replacing wood charcoal as the leading source of fuel in Kenya today. Charcoal provides more than 70 percent of the domestic energy demand for cooking and heating in Kenya. Kenya's charcoal industry may be mostly informal, but it's a big deal to the millions who rely on it for fuel or to earn a living. The industry records an annual market value of over USD$ 427 million. This is mainly attributed to the fact that charcoal is relatively affordable and readily available to most Kenyans. In addition, charcoal is the leading contributor to deforestation causing climate change in Kenya. According to findings from the African Nazarene University on Tropical and Sub-tropical Agro-ecosystems, about 1,264 hectares and 15,174 hectares of forest cover are depleted monthly and annually respectively. This study also reveals that Kenya would lose approximately 66% of its forest cover to charcoal production and its use by 2030. Roughly 10 kg of wood is used to produce 1kg of wood charcoal. Deforestation has led to a reduction of the forest cover in Kenya which if not controlled, will enhance the impacts of climate change in the nation. Such as the most recent drought that hit the Northern region of Kenya in 2022 due to the late onset and poor performance of the much-anticipated October to December 2022 short rains; coupled with four previous consecutive failed rainfall seasons as recorded by the National Drought Management Authority. As a result, over 4.35 million people living in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) faced severe food insecurity. Moreover, the Kenyan government has recently banned the unlicensed production of charcoal which has left millions of people without a reliable source of energy for cooking.

Our combustible bio-briquette cooking fuel is made from converting coconut biomass (coconut shells and husks) into activated carbon briquettes which burn at higher temperatures and longer time duration compared to charcoal. It can be burnt by a variety of different cooking devices including; a Jiko, charcoal grills, and charcoal ovens.

KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION will have three phases: the launch phase, the growth phase, and the expansion phase. Our main target group will be urban and peri-urban households during the launch phase. According to the 2022 Kenya Cooking Sector Study by the Republic of Kenya Ministry of Energy, urban and peri-urban households account for 65% of Kenya's demand for cooking and heating fuel and are very important target markets for our combustible bio-briquettes. According to our research, most urban and peri-urban consumers desire smokeless fuel and our combustible bio-briquettes can meet this need. In addition, most urban and peri-urban consumers use the jiko, a portable burning stove used to burn wood charcoal in Kenya, which can be used to burn our combustible bio-briquettes. Furthermore, most people living in urban and peri-urban households are aware of the negative effects of charcoal production and its use, and this will make them turn to our combustible bio-briquettes which are environmentally sustainable.

In the growth phase of  KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION, we will be able to serve rural households. We believe the demand for our combustible bio-briquettes will be relatively lower than the urban and peri-urban households mainly because firewood can be collected for free in the surrounding areas or even bought cheaper in the nearest area. Regardless, there is also potential demand for our combustible bio-briquettes. Collecting and storing firewood is inconvenient and really tiresome and people will be willing to pay for our combustible bio-briquettes. Also attributed to the fact that our combustible bio-briquettes are odorless and smokeless, consumers will feel safer if they want to cook from inside the house, especially during the night. In addition, our combustible bio-briquettes will be very attractive to rural households as they have longer combustion time compared to the alternative sources which are wood charcoal and firewood.
As we reach our expansion stage, we will target institutions and industries where a longer or cleaner burning fuel is needed. This includes schools, hospitals, restaurants, and hotels among other fields. We will also target neighboring countries such as  Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and DRC which are also dealing with deforestation mainly led by charcoal production. We believe that KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION combustible bio-briquettes will be of value to their market. Our solution not only provides an affordable and sustainable fuel solution but also, it is taking drastic action to combat climate change and its impact in Kenya by providing an alternative, affordable, and sustainable source of fuel energy .

KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION organizational structure and their business involvement:

1. ANOVA  JOEL MULI-Business Founder

2. LINCOLN GAKUYA-Marketing Specialist

3. COLLINS KARIMI -Machine Operating Specialist

4. ROY NTHIGA -Finance and Economics Personnel

5. GEORGE KARIMI-Chemical Engineer Specialist 

Team KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION Work Experience

1. ANOVA JOEL MULI - Marketing student at the University of Nairobi. Founder of  Black Affair Africa participated in several international expos including the 2020 Global Expo Dubai UAE. Worked in a community development organization, LULUTHAMANI. A passionate entrepreneur in Kenya who seeks to improve the energy industry in Kenya.

2. LINCOLN GAKUYA - Blockchain enthusiast and entrepreneur. Certified by UNIC in Digital Currencies and Blockchain. Previous co-founder of two business ventures Licky N’ Nice and GEMA. An enthusiastic marketer who has been known for identifying new market trends and coming up with strategies to promote sales.

3. COLLINS NTHIGA - Participated in the Kenya National Science Innovator Fair with project Sun Tracking Solar Panel and  Electric Dustbin which managed to reach the Nationals and semi-national respectively. A young innovator with a unique experience in digital machinery and modern technology.

4. ROY NTHIGA - Economics and Finance student at Mount Kenya University. Certified in digital marketing, graphic designing, and NFT art creation. Web3 enthusiast and practitioner with three years of experience in exchanges. An intellectually curious individual who has been a key asset to KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION in identifying and analyzing economic trends in Kenya.

5. GEORGE KARIMI - Kenyatta University student doing a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering. An innovative engineer who has been a key asset to KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION in improving the quality of our product.

Our team has conducted both primary and secondary research; including conducting a number of surveys in three locations in Nairobi; Kahawa west, Westlands, and Lower Kabete. After engaging with the community, we observed and interacted with our potential clients. This allowed us to understand their needs and the environment that creates them. We were able to better identify the target market, how to reach them, and better ways to improve our product to meet their needs. We also did a lot of research on the cooking fuel options in Kenya and used different case reports from the past 10 years. Through the case studies, we were able to identify different trends in the energy sector that can potentially be to our advantage. We also did a site visit to Mombasa town, a coastal city in Kenya, where we met different coconut farmers and firms who were more than willing to avail the coconut shells to us. Last but not least, with the help of our campuses and lecturers who connected us to the different types of machinery which we needed to make our combustible bio-briquettes, we managed to come up with a prototype that is able to prove the concept of our idea.

We believe our solution is quite an innovative solution that will help not only improve the lives of the citizens of Kenya but also reduce deforestation that is mainly contributed to alternative sources of cooking fuel which are charcoal and firewood. KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION is presenting an affordable, sustainable, efficient, and better-quality product. In addition, our product burns for a longer duration and produces higher heat energy as compared to wood charcoal, and is both odorless and smokeless when burnt. We believe our product will be easily accepted into the market due to these competitive advantages. In the long term period, we expect our product to have a net positive impact on the environment by reducing deforestation. This will help mitigate climate change and its impact in Kenya by reducing the number of trees that are chopped down to produce charcoal.

Our goal for the next year is to be able to supply a total of 5 tonnes of our combustible bio-briquettes per day to our market, employing a total of 150 workers, and reduce the use of charcoal and firewood as an alternative source of cooking fuel in society, this will eventually reduce deforestation in the long run. KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION will not only provide an affordable, sustainable and clean fuel solution to the citizens of Kenya but also, it is taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact in Kenya. Furthermore, it will promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

Our combustible bio-briquette cooking fuel is made from converting coconut biomass (coconut shells and husks) into activated carbon briquettes which burn at higher temperatures and longer time intervals compared to charcoal. The whole process begins by drying the coconut shells to remove unnecessary moisture. It is then fed into a kiln where the coconut shell undergoes a carbonization process, resulting in the formation of a black carbon pigment around the coconut shells. Once the carbonization process is complete, the product is grounded to produce fine coconut charcoal powder. The powder will then be fed into a mixer to combine it with starch and water to improve its quality by enhancing its calorific value, density, ignition time, burning rate, and carbon content. The product of the mixture will then be fed into a motorized briquette-making machine. At this point, the briquettes have a delicate texture that can easily crumble when touched. Finally, the briquettes will be fed into an oven for 2-3 hours to solidify and produce the final product which is our combustible bio-briquette fuel.

Currently, our solution hasn't been launched to the market. In our first year,  we are planning to serve about 65% percent of the total population of Nairobi, Nakuru, and Mombasa which have the highest demand for cooking fuel in Kenya. That is about a population of 8 million households.

Our main barrier to accomplishing our goal in the next year currently is a lack of production premise, and lack of sufficient capital to enable us to buy the necessary types of machinery to make our combustible bio-briquettes. We also lack the necessary manpower for the whole process of making the product. We are requesting a sum of USD 100,000 to make KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION a reality. 

Currently, we have not partnered with any company.

KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION BUSINESS MODEL

1. VALUE PROPOSITION
   KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION will provide an affordable fuel energy solution by turning coconut wastes into combustible bio-briquettes and replacing wood charcoal as the leading source of fuel in Kenya. Our product is affordable, sustainable, and convenient and with these characteristics, it will be attractive to our customers.
2. KEY PARTNER
   We have partnered with two key suppliers; Kwale Coconut processors and Amor Coco Kenya (EPZ). These are businesses that sell coconut products and will supply us with coconut shells and husk which will be our main raw material.
3. KEY ACTIVITIES 
   Our key activities at KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION are the production and sale of our combustible bio-briquettes. We will sell our products at our outlet retail shops where we will avail our product directly to the consumers.
4. KEY RESOURCES
   We will require the following key resources for our value proposition:
   .Production premises to produce and store our combustible bio-briquettes
   .Machines, ingredients, and the necessary equipment to make our products.
   .Brand patents
   .Human resources who will facilitate the production, distribution, and sale of our products
   .Financial resources will be required to acquire the raw materials, rent a retail shop, market the product, and other unforeseeable expenses.
5. CUSTOMER SEGMENT
   We target urban and peri-urban regions in Kenya which include Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Kisumu.
6. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
   At KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION, we want our customers to feel good about buying our product, not only because it best suits their needs, but also because it is charitable beneficial to fight against deforestation and climate change.
7. CHANNELS
   We will avail our product at our retail shops where our customers can get our products directly from us. We will also work with retailers and wholesalers including e-commerce platforms, supermarkets, and local retailers who will avail our products to the market. In addition, we will market our product through different social media platforms to attract our base customers. 
8. REVENUE STREAM
   KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION's main revenue stream will come from the sales of its combustible bio-briquettes.

KIJANI FUEL SOLUTION will generate revenue through the sales of its combustible bio-briquettes. It will sell a sack of its combustible bio-briquettes which weighs 60 kg at a price of 16$. This is almost 50% cheaper than charcoal which goes for 25$ per sack. In addition, our product is efficient, sustainable, and convenient and with these characteristics, it will be attractive to the market. Kenya's charcoal industry may be mostly informal, but it's a big deal to the millions of Kenyans who rely on it for fuel. With an annual market value of over US$427 million, we target on receiving 20% of the market share within the first 3 years. Through our forecast for Y1, we will be able to produce 5 tonnes of combustible bio-briquettes in a day, employing a total of 150 employees and receiving a gross profit of USD 1 million.