- Alternative sources for charcoal production, like agricultural residues, must be supported to be competitive against unsustainable charcoal.
- Wood biomass energy, including charcoal and firewood, was Ghana’s primary energy source.
Dr Cisco Aust, the Project Manager of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, during a policy dialogue on the Sustainable Wood Energy Value Chain Project in Accra on Tuesday, said that alternative sources for charcoal production, like agricultural residues, must be supported to be competitive against unsustainable charcoal. He indicated that besides the potential for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), there was a high potential for alternative fuel sources.
The “Forest Landscape Restoration through a Sustainable Wood Energy Value Chain” project sought to conserve natural forests and restore degraded landscapes through planting and regeneration with communities while discouraging them from cutting indigenous trees unsustainably for charcoal production. The project, which began in 2019 and would end in May this year, was financed under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and implemented in 12 communities with restoration measures on 1000 hectares.
Dorcas Owusuaa Agyei, Project Officer, IUCN Ghana Project Office, reiterated that wood biomass energy, including charcoal and firewood, was the primary source of energy in the country as mainly charcoal production was widespread and constituted a major source of income for most rural communities. Dr Aust highlighted that with efficient kilns and stoves, the demand on woody biomass for charcoal could be reduced by up to 70 per cent, adding, “bush fire and land use management concept is key to reduce the pressure, integrate concepts for agroforestry and woodlots on suitable sites.”