“The charcoal trade, referred to as “black gold” by Kampala traders, has become more profitable than the forests where trees are being indiscriminately cut down for charcoal-burning.”
Uganda
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As Uganda’s woodfuel crisis deepens, slum-dwellers in the capital come up with creative solutions.
Uganda: When good intentions go bad
Banning timber and charcoal production to protect the country’s remaining tree cover is well intentioned but completely impractical.
Ugandan entrepreneur uses briquettes to address gender and development issues
Betty Ikalany is eager to include women in her budding briquette-making enterprise. She believes the income-generating potential offered by briquette-making will empower women by making them more economically independent.
She specifically targets women living with HIV/AIDS and girls dropping out of school due to pregnancy because these two groups usually suffer greatly from stigma and discrimination in the community, which impedes their ability to provide a living for themselves.
NEWS: Uganda: Charcoal Boon is a Bust for Forests
According to the Uganda National Environment Management Authority, pressure on land, water, forest and biological resources has dramatically increased to meet the needs of a growing population, leading to a loss of 76 percent of the country’s forest cover.
Geoffrey Oryema, the district leader of Nwoya, said poverty and lack of a meaningful livelihood source were the driving factors for environmental destruction.
“What do you expect somebody in the village without money to pay for his needs such as soap, salt, medicine and food to do?” Oryema said. “People are struggling to find alternatives to survive.”