Hawassa University Hosts Inception Workshop on Green People’s Energy for Africa

Hawassa University Office of Vice president for Research and Technology Transfer hosts Inception workshop on Green People’s Energy for Africa: Domestic Biogas to improve rural livelihood in Ethiopia at Hawassa University College of Agriculture on January 18, 2020, in focus.

Dr. Eng. Fiseha Getachew HwU Vice President for Academic Affairs said that people rely on traditional cookstoves and open fires to burn biomass or coal for heating and cooking in developing countries. This practice causes harmful local air pollution and increases the danger from fire hazards, and excessive harvesting of wood and other combustible materials causes serious local environmental damage including desertification.

He added that promoting the usage of cleaner fuels and more efficient technologies for cooking is one of the objectives of this project and today’s workshop as well. Besides, a shift to such clean energy can reduce the damage to human health and the drudgery associated with continued reliance on inefficient polluting solid fuels.

Mrs. Hiwot Abayneh, a project coordinator, said that this small project aims to improve the rural livelihood through the construction of biogas plants in Damot Woyde and Duguna Fango districts of SNNPR. The small scale domestic biogas plant will be used for lighting and cooking. Moreover, the by-product can be used as organic fertilizer, and the benefit of the technology, in general, includes improve health, reduce workload for women and children, improve education, prevent deforestation, improve soil fertility, job creation for local mason and promote rural youth entrepreneurship.

Finally, the coordinator explained that Hawassa University implements the project in collaboration with the regional Mines and Energy Bureau and GIZ. In this reaction, the participants made effective discussions with a consideration of its good opportunities for rural society as an end-user.