Program to turn bamboo firewood
to claunch in Ethiopia and Ghana
Kumasi, April 5, Ghanadot/GNA –
The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), in
collaboration with the European Union (EU), and other
partners will launch the bamboo firewood and charcoal
programme in Ghana and Ethiopia on Monday April 6, 2009.
The “Bamboo as sustainable biomass energy: A suitable
alternative for firewood and charcoal production in Africa”
programme, is a collaborative project between INBAR, EU, the
Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Rural Energy
Development and Promotion Centre (EREDPC) of Ethiopia, the
Federal Micro and Small Enterprises Agency (FeMSEDA) of
Ethiopia, the Bamboo and Rattan Development Programme (BARADEP)
of Ghana and Nanjing Forestry University of China.
These were contained in a statement signed by Dr Coosje
Hoogendoorn, Director General of INBAR, and issued to GNA in
Kumasi on Friday.
The release said the project is the first of its kind that
seeks to develop bamboo firewood and charcoal as an
alternative to wood charcoal in the countries that would be
expected to benefit from the venture.
It said the project aimed at increasing the range of useable
bamboos available in Africa establish bamboo charcoal micro
and macro enterprises and help governments and civil society
organizations to support bamboo firewood and charcoal
production and use.
The statement said the new bamboo charcoal technologies
developed in Asia by INBAR and its partners over the past
decade had enormous potential to help reduce deforestation
and generate sustainable incomes.
It also marked a major step in their application for
improved energy security, environment and livelihoods of the
people of the bamboo-growing regions in Africa.
The statement said the programme would be implemented in
Benishangul-Gumuz State, Amhara National Regional State and
Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State in
Ethiopia and Western region of Ghana.
It is expected to attract at least 1,000 enterprises that
would produce bamboo charcoal and 30,000 households would be
expected to use it.
The statement said over 6,000 people were expected to be
trained in bamboo cultivation, best bamboo firewood
practices and bamboo charcoal production, set up bamboo
charcoal technology centres and develop marketing strategies
for bamboo charcoal.
It said the EU said the programme was in line with its major
concern of promoting sustainable and long term development.
GNA
