
The event will gather representatives from eight African countries
Lusaka – Woodfuel is the most important source of domestic energy across Sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to the food security and nutritional needs of millions of people. But increasing demand, caused by population growth, is putting an enormous pressure on forests, causing degradation and deforestation.
In Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, woodfuel accounts for 71% to 93% of national energy consumption, with an average demand rise of 2.8% per annum. The livelihoods of more than 1.8 million people in the region depend directly on the sector, and the woodfuel industry averages 2.2% of these countries’ domestic GDP. Woodfuel is a booming sector in a fast-growing market, with low entry costs, ease of access to weakly regulated resources, and limited formal employment opportunities.
With the objective of promoting synergies between countries that share similar governance challenges, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), in collaboration with the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) and funded by the European Union, is organizing a regional exchange with policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in the woodfuel sector.
The event, which will take place on the 26 and 27 of February in Lusaka’s Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC), will encourage mutual learning from other countries’ domestic woodfuel strategies, and a discussion on how to better incorporate woodfuel in energy and poverty reduction policies. As a result, participants will gain a better understanding on the different available options to promote more sustainable woodfuel value chains.
Furthermore, the event will touch on the implications of cross-border trade across the region. A study in progress shows undocumented charcoal production in Zambia for export to neighboring countries. Strictly enforced laws limiting charcoal production in some countries are driving new regional charcoal trade dynamics that are yet to be fully understood. Therefore, the workshop will contribute to regional cooperation to address these issues.
For more information on the event, please contact Kaala Moombe (k.moombe@cgiar.org). For media enquiries, please contact Ahtziri Gonzalez (a.gonzalez@cgiar.org).