The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (MoPE), in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), on Tuesday launched a nationwide awareness-raising campaign on, and distribution of, efficient cook stoves and alternative cooking fuels.
The objective is to raise the awareness levels of the public on efficient and clean modes of cooking as well as distribute efficient cook stoves and alternative cooking fuels to people. The overall goal, the officials indicated, is to reduce fuelwood consumption and promote sustainable management of the country’s scarce forest resources.
Minister Fafa Sanyang speaking at the launch ceremony held at the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in Bijilo, said energy is a very critical ingredient of the socio-economic development of any country; and that it’s used in every sector of production and service delivery.
He stressed for any country to register meaningful development, it must be able to provide adequate, reliable, and affordable energy services, saying that’s why the government of The Gambia has prioritized the energy sector in its development agenda.
The awareness-raising campaign, the Energy Minister pointed out to his audience, is divided into three components, including the television and radio talk shows, the launch of the campaign, and tours to the seven (7) regions of the country.
Sanyang continued, “We are very hopeful that the campaign will be very successful, as it will enlighten the people about the importance and the benefits of using efficient cookstoves and alternative cooking fuels.” He cautioned that The Gambia faces a high risk of ecological catastrophe if necessary counter-measures are not taken soon.
However, the Minister cited a range measures that the Gambia government and its development partners are taking in order to address the rapid rate of loss of the country’s forest over, including reducing high dependency on the forest for energy, which is the overall goal of the just launched nationwide campaign.
The Representative at UNIDO Field in Dakar, Senegal, Mr. YVETOT Christophe Olivier Renaud, informed the ceremony that, UNIDO is quite aware of the importance of the affordability and accessibility of alternative cooking fuels to firewood and charcoal to fight deforestation, desertification, GHG emissions, and health issues.
As such, the sustainable production and distribution of briquettes, pellets, and biochar have been envisaged, the Representative argued, while thanking the government of The Gambia for this initiative.
In his welcoming remarks, Permanent Secretary (PS) of MoPE, Mr. Lamin Camara, stated the government of the Gambia has embarked on a policy to reduce the use of fuelwood by promoting a more efficient cooking stove.
According to him, it’s estimated that the Gambia consumes 25,000 tonnes of charcoal, mainly in the urban areas and 183,000 tonnes of firewood, mainly in rural areas, annually. This represents a huge percentage of biomass resource, although not all of this is produced in The Gambia, he explained.
PS Camara told the gathering the adoption of clean cooking energy could help address several challenges whilst providing many advantages and opportunities.
Firstly, it will help reduce deforestation; already there is considerable loss of forest cover attributed mainly to agriculture, and other human activities such land clearing for human settlements, unsustainable timber, and firewood production,” he outlined.
The second important reason for improved cooking energy systems is the reduction of smoke-related illnesses, the audience heard, and Camara went on to disclose that wood-fired cook stoves and open fires emit carbon monoxide and other noxious fumes in quantities up to 100 times higher than the recommended WHO limits.
He also said it’s estimated that exposure to smoke from the simple act of cooking constitutes the fourth worst risk factor for disease in developing countries, and causes almost four million premature deaths per year, mainly women and young children.
Camara recalled that as part of this important program, a series of radio and talk shows were conducted by their Ministry, over the last 2 weeks, to raise public awareness on efficient cooking devices and fuel.
“Following this launch, a multi-stakeholder campaign team will going to every region in the country starting from the capital, Banjul, Wednesday.
PS Camara expressed their hope that by the end of the countrywide campaign, the public’s awareness on the social, environmental and economic benefits of efficient cooking solutions would be adequately raised.
