NEW YORK, April 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — YPO, the global leadership community of more than 34,000 CEOs from 150 countries, today announced that Greg Murray, Co-Founder and CEO of KOKO Networks, has received the Award Global Impact 2023 of the organization. KOKO Networks is a Kenyan climate technology company fighting deforestation and carbon emissions caused by the use of charcoal as a cooking fuel in urban homes.
The YPO Global Impact Award is the highest accolade that YPO bestows on its members in recognition of their impact outside of YPO, celebrating CEO impact that is sustainable and scalable.
“Greg and KOKO Networks are paving the way with their innovative approach to combat deforestation and improve the health of Kenyans, finding technology-based solutions that benefit not only the environment, but also millions of consumers,” said Thayer Smith. , CEO of YPO. “He is an inspiration within our YPO community and beyond.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), charcoal, the dominant fuel for cooking in urban Africa, is the main driver of deforestation on the continent. Indoor air pollution from burning charcoal causes hundreds of thousands of deaths a year, mainly among children under the age of 5, from pneumonia and acute respiratory infections. This pollution is equivalent to inhaling four packs of cigarettes a day. Murray and his co-founders Sagun Saxena, Micael da Costa and Nicholas Stokes set out to address this problem by designing and launching a new technology-based industry that would enable countries to quickly move away from their reliance on charcoal.
By offering consumers a superior solution that is far less expensive than charcoal, KOKO is growing rapidly, with more than 10,000 new homes switching to its clean fuel and carbon platform every week. KOKO, with 1,800 employees in East Africa, India and the UK, operates a network of more than 2,000 high-tech KOKO Fuel ATMs located in stores in low-income neighborhoods, allowing customers to conveniently access and safe low-cost clean fuel within a short drive from your home. KOKO Fuel is now used in the homes of more than 3.5 million Kenyans in six cities, reducing more than 4 million tons of carbon emissions per year and protecting the health of families from diseases caused by air pollution. indoor. Carbon revenue is shared with households by lowering the cost of KOKO Fuel, making it affordable for even the poorest. KOKO Fuel is sustainable bioethanol produced in East Africa from molasses, a by-product of sugar production, which provides increased income for farming communities. Murray noted: “We are honored to receive YPO’s 2023 Global Impact Award. Ten years ago we developed an ambitious plan to harness technology, infrastructure and carbon markets to drive the energy transition and forest protection at a significant scale and pace.We have only just begun: there are more than a billion people in 60 low-income tropical countries who depend on charcoal and need our networks We have about 15 years to turn the tide on tropical deforestation, and it won’t be possible without addressing the main factors driving demand for raw materials and giving the forests the space they need to regenerate.KOKO is a new scalable tool in that fight.”Murray was selected from among awardees representing YPO regions around the world.
YPO Global Impact Award Regional Laureates:
About YPO: YPO is the global leadership community of more than 34,000 leaders from 150 countries united by a common belief that the world needs better leaders and that business can be a force for good. Each of our members has achieved significant leadership success at a young age. They run companies and organizations that collectively employ more than 22 million people worldwide and generate more than $9 trillion in combined revenue. YPO members come together to learn and exchange ideas to make a difference in lives, businesses and the communities in which they operate. More information available on the website ypo.org
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