Sustainable business models for charcoal in Africa

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Driven by population increase and urbanization, charcoal use is on the increase in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is an affordable energy source that generate rural jobs and incomes – however charcoal use is also associated with health-related and environmental problems. This webinar discusses opportunities for creating more sustainable charcoal value chains in Africa. What is required to promote charcoal value chains that provide affordable energy and rural income, without degrading the forest resources?

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), in partnership with, the African Forest Forum (AFF), is implementing a research project “Sustainable Business Models for Tree based Value Chains in Sub Saharan Africa”. The goal of the project is to generate knowledge on the charcoal value chain, more specifically on its processes, actors, and their interactions. The research is conducted in Kenya and Niger in a participatory manner that involves various stakeholders. It is aimed at analysing resources, competences and business models among supply chain members in fostering sustainable and livelihood improving outcomes. At the webinar, results from this project are presented, together with findings from leading researchers in the field.

Programme 

Local time CEST (in Sweden)

Moderator: Professor Godwin Kowero, AFF

14.00 Introducing the webinar: Charcoal in Africa – a test case? Prof. Anders Roos, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

14.10 Remarks from African Forest Forum, Prof. Godwin Kowero, African Forest Forum (AFF)

14.20 Note with perspectives, Prof. Björn Lundgren, African Forest Forum (AFF)/SLU

14.30 Charcoal value chain business model and livelihoods in Kenya, Dr. Doris Mutta, African Forest Forum (AFF)

14.45 Impacts of charcoal ban on forests and livelihoods in Kenya, Dr. Chemuku Wekesa, The Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI)

15.00 Charcoal value chains in Niger – business models and trade flows, Prof. Larwanou Mahamane, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

15.15 Kenya Charcoal Value Chains under the 2018 logging moratorium and Covid 19: implications for women actors, Dr. Phosiso Sola, World Agroforestry, (ICRAF)

15.30 Ask the cooks! What recent national survey data tells us about charcoal in Africa today, Dr. Rob Bailis, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)

15.45 Cookstoves that produce biochar for soil improvement and carbon sequestration, Dr. Cecilia Sundberg, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)/Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

16.00 African Forest Forum-FAO initiatives on NTFPs value chains in the Great Green Wall Africa, Dr. Marie Louise Avana-Tientcheu, African Forest Forum (AFF)

16.15 Open discussion
 
16.30 The webinar closes

Researchers in the project

Anders Roos anders.roos@slu.se
Mahamane Larwanou M.Larwanou@cgiar.org
Doris Mutta D.Mutta@cgiar.org
Chemuku Wekesa chemukukefri@gmail.com