Bamako Clean Cookstoves - Improving livelihoods and fighting desertification in the Sahel zone

Audit Analysis

The Bamako Clean Cookstoves project has a solid additionality assessment (combined test confirmed by the VVB) and reasonable usage-rate conservatism, but suffers from notable gaps in permanence (no buffer pool, reversal events unaddressed) and leakage treatment (0% deduction with no justification in the latest verification report). Multiple contradictions across documents and a site-visit deviation due to security risks in Mali further erode confidence in the verification chain.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠No buffer pool or reversal-risk mitigation identified in any available document for a project whose cookstoves have a finite operational life
• ⚠Leakage deduction of 0% with justification described as 'not addressed' in the 2023 verification report, while the 2020 report indicated leakage was quantified — a regression in treatment
• ⚠Site visit deviation: an Objective Observer conducted verification instead of the VVB due to security risks in Mali, weakening the independence of the verification
• ⚠Crediting period end date is missing in the 2023 verification report (shown as open-ended), while the 2018 PDD listed an end date of 2022-04-30, creating uncertainty about the validity window
• ⚠Ten contradictions identified across documents, including conflicting fNRB methods (national default vs. local field) and inconsistent leakage-justification descriptions

Credit Vintages