Kumasi, April 5, GNA - The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) in collaboration with the European Union and other partners will on Monday, April 6, launch the bamboo firewood and charcoal programme in Ghana and Ethiopia. The "Bamboo as sustainable biomass energy: A suitable alternative for firewood and charcoal production in Africa" programme, is a collaborative project between INBAR, European Union and their partners including 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.

It is the first project to develop bamboo firewood and charcoal as an alternative to timber charcoal in the Africa region. The project aims at increasing the range of useable bamboos available in each country, establish bamboo charcoal Micro and Macro Enterprises and help government and civil society organizations support bamboo firewood and charcoal production and use. In a statement issued to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi at the weekend, Dr Coosje Hoogendoorn, Director General of INBAR, said the new bamboo charcoal technologies developed in Asia by INBAR and its partners over the past decade have 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 programme will work 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 develop at least 1,000 enterprises producing bamboo charcoal and 30,000 households using it. Over 6,000 people are 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. According to the statement, the EU said the programme was in line with its major concern of promoting sustainable and long term development.