For many rural and coastal communities in the Niger Delta, access to cooking gas depends on whether local businesses can reliably supply it. Helping those businesses grow can bring cleaner cooking options closer to households that still rely on firewood and other biomass fuels.
This is the opportunity behind a partnership between PIND’s Access to Energy (A2E) program and Bettering Human Lives Foundation (BHLF), a US-based impact lending organization. Together, they are connecting LPG businesses with affordable financing to strengthen their operations and reach underserved communities.
On September 18, 2026, the partnership brought 14 shortlisted businesses from Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States to PIND’s Economic Development Center (EDC) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for an in-person assessment with BHLF’s lending team.
For the participating businesses, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss their expansion plans, understand the financing available, and receive guidance on preparing their applications. For the partnership, it was a practical step towards connecting local enterprise growth with wider access to cleaner cooking.
The financing offers eligible businesses loans of up to US$200,000 at an annual interest rate of 4%, subject to lending assessments. Access to capital on these terms could help LPG operators pursue growth plans and extend their services into markets where reliable cooking gas supply remains limited.
Getting financing for suitable businesses requires both local connections and a clear understanding of how they operate. PIND identified and profiled more than 20 LPG businesses through partner referrals, Host Community Development Trust networks, online applications, and direct market outreach. An initial online assessment led to the selection of the 14 businesses that attended the Port Harcourt meeting.
During the session, business owners met individually with PIND and BHLF to discuss their operations, financing requests, and supporting documentation. They also received information on eligibility, loan amounts, repayment terms, and the application process. CookBlu, an LPG sector participant that co-facilitated the session, introduced its product offering, adding an opportunity for businesses to explore connections within the sector.
The assessment process also includes planned visits to selected businesses in Rivers and Delta States to understand their infrastructure, operations, and community reach. These visits will help establish how proposed financing could support viable businesses and expand access to LPG. Loan decisions will follow the assessment process.
The wider ambition is to strengthen the local businesses that connect households to cleaner cooking. When LPG operators can serve more communities reliably, they can create opportunities for business growth while helping families access alternatives to biomass fuels.
By bringing together PIND’s regional networks and BHLF’s lending expertise, the partnership is working to make affordable finance more accessible to these businesses—and, through them, make cooking gas more accessible to the communities they serve.
