Charcoal production and marketing are wiping out at least 30 000 hectares of forest cover in Malawi every year. 

Malawi’s position as one of the least electrified countries globally at just 11 percent nationally—with 42 percent of the urban people having access and just four percent of rural dwellers connected—has pushed charcoal to become the primary source of fuel for 54 percent of urban households. 

Across rural Malawi, households continue to rely almost exclusively on firewood. Meanwhile alternative cooking and heating fuels remain underdeveloped, with less than one percent of Malawian households using any alternative to firewood, charcoal or electricity for cooking and heating. 

What is government doing to make sure that we have alternative sources of energy? Kamoto says government has done a list of alternatives but what is remaining is the accessibility of those alternatives. 

He said one thing they have considered is the sustainable charcoal where his department has issued eight licenses to companies and organisation that are producing sustainable charcoal. 

These companies are only in four districts—two in Mzuzu, in Lilongwe four companies, one in Chikwawa and the last one in Mchinji. Kamoto agreed that this is not enough to serve a country with 18 million plus population. 

“Yes this is not enough so we are trying to give out more licenses as many as possible. Our plan is to at least give out two licenses per each district,” he said. 

“The process for one to make an application is simple, if you think you have trees, then you can make an application so that we advise them how best they can do it. The process to award an applicant a license cannot take us more than a month,” he added. 

Kamoto said a second alternative is to come up with wooden briquettes charcoal pellets which are being produced by Raiply.  

“We have also issued licenses to three people who are producing. We have mobilised people in Area 25, Kawale and other areas who are forming groups. We don’t want Raiply to be selling these briquettes but instead we should involve people who will be selling. We are still trying to come up with better working arrangement,” he said. 

Kamoto said he is strongly believe that a solution should be gas but the problem is availability and also not reliable a thing they are working. 

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