“Community Energy Malawi country director Edgar Kapiza Bayani has urged bakery cooperatives in Karonga District to embrace solar-powered ovens to reduce dependence on firewood.
He said this on Wednesday when he briefed the district’s large-scale solar project to Karonga District Executive Committee (DEC) members.
Bayani said the project seeks to introduce baking operations to clean and renewable energy.
He said: “The project seeks to provide bakery cooperatives in the district with eco-friendly alternatives to traditional baking methods such as using firewood and charcoal which are piling pressure on trees.
“The shift to solar energy will not only reduce the environmental impact, but will also lower production costs which currently sit at 100 kilograms [kg] of firewood a day which translates to 500kg of firewood a week.”
Bayani has since expressed optimism about the project, saying it augurs well with his company’s mission of empowering communities through sustainable energy solutions.
He said: “The project will create a self-sustainable economy in the lakeshore district and enable businesspeople to thrive using locally available resources.
“Again, through Nkhongono Kuwanthu Cooperative in walamba village, we will plant 5000 trees in Mlare”
Karonga district environmental officer Khumbo Mbeye commended the company for the project, saying it will also create jobs.
He said: “Apart from promoting bakery cooperatives, the project will also create jobs and reduce environmental degradation in the district.
“We are waiting to see the transformation that will reshape people’s socio-economic livelihood and the environment.”
Community Energy Malawi through the implementing partner is running the project with funding from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action through German’s International Climate Initiative.”
Source: The nation-Jordan Simeon Phiri-Correspondent-11 October 2024