Chad hopes 'green charcoal' can save vanishing forests

N'DJAMENA - As they zigzagged from one machine to another in the searing African sun, the workers were covered in black soot.
But the charcoal they were making is known as "green", and backers hope it can save impoverished Chad from rampant deforestation.
Chad, a vast, landlocked country of 19 million people perched at the crossroads of north and central Africa, is steadily turning to desert.
It has lost more than 90 percent of its forest cover since the 1970s, hit by climate change and overexploitation of trees for household uses such as cooking, officials say.
"Green charcoal" aims to protect what forest is left.
Made from discarded plant waste such as millet and sesame stalks or palm fronds, it is meant to save trees from being chopped down for cooking.
The product "releases less emissions than traditional charcoal, it doesn't blacken your pots, it has high energy content and lasts up to three times longer than ordinary charcoal," said Ousmane Alhadj Oumarou, technical director of the Raikina Association for Socioeconomic Development (Adser).
"Using one kilogram of green charcoal saves six kilograms of wood."
The group has installed a production facility in Pont Belile, just north of the capital, N'Djamena.
There, workers grind up burnt plant waste, then mix it with gum arabic, which helps it ignite, and clay, which makes it burn more slowly.
The resulting black nuggets look like ordinary charcoal.
Like the traditional kind, it emits CO2 when it burns -- but less, said Souleymane Adam Adey, an ecologist at the University of N'Djamena.
And "it contributes to fighting deforestation, by ensuring the trees that aren't cut down continue to capture and store carbon," he said.
- Refugee pressure -
The conflict in neighbouring Sudan, which is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, is adding to pressure on Chad, which has become home to more than 800,000 Sudanese refugees since 2023 -- double the 400,000 it already hosted.
AFP | Joris Bolomey
"Desertification has progressed in the regions that have been hosting Sudanese refugees for the past two years," said Adser's director, 45-year-old businessman Ismael Hamid.
Adser invested 200 million CFA francs (about $350,000) to launch the project, then won backing from the World Bank, which buys the charcoal for 750 CFA francs per kilogramme.
The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, distributes the charcoal in refugee camps in eastern Chad.
But Hamid said he hoped to expand production and slash prices to 350 to 500 CFA francs per kilo to make "green charcoal" available and affordable nationwide.
AFP | Joris Bolomey
The plant currently produces seven to nine tonnes per day.
"If we want to meet the country's needs, we have to increase our output by at least a factor of 10," said Hamid, calling for subsidies to support the budding sector.
Environment Minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous told AFP the government was working on a policy to promote such projects.
"We need to bet on green charcoal as an energy source for the future of our country," he said.

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Chad hopes 'green charcoal' can save vanishing forests

N'DJAMENA - As they zigzagged from one machine to another in the searing African sun, the workers were covered in black soot. But the charcoal they were making is known as "green", and backers hope it can save impoverished Chad from rampant deforestation. Chad, a vast, landlocked country of 19 million people perched at the crossroads of north and central Africa, is steadily turning to desert. It has lost more than 90 percent of its forest cover since the 1970s, hit by climate change and overexploitation of trees for household uses such as cooking, officials say. "Green charcoal" aims to protect what forest is left. Made from discarded plant waste such as millet and sesame stalks or palm fronds, it is meant to save trees from being chopped down for cooking. The product "releases less emissions than traditional charcoal, it doesn't blacken your pots, it has high energy content and lasts up to three times longer than ordinary charcoal," said Ousmane Alhadj Oumarou, technical director of the Raikina Association for Socioeconomic Development (Adser). "Using one kilogram of green charcoal saves six kilograms of wood." The group has installed a production facility in Pont Belile, just north of the capital, N'Djamena. There, workers grind up burnt plant waste, then mix it with gum arabic, which helps it ignite, and clay, which makes it burn more slowly. The resulting black nuggets look like ordinary charcoal. Like the traditional kind, it emits CO2 when it burns -- but less, said Souleymane Adam Adey, an ecologist at the University of N'Djamena. And "it contributes to fighting deforestation, by ensuring the trees that aren't cut down continue to capture and store carbon," he said. - Refugee pressure - The conflict in neighbouring Sudan, which is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, is adding to pressure on Chad, which has become home to more than 800,000 Sudanese refugees since 2023 -- double the 400,000 it already hosted. AFP | Joris Bolomey "Desertification has progressed in the regions that have been hosting Sudanese refugees for the past two years," said Adser's director, 45-year-old businessman Ismael Hamid. Adser invested 200 million CFA francs (about $350,000) to launch the project, then won backing from the World Bank, which buys the charcoal for 750 CFA francs per kilogramme. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, distributes the charcoal in refugee camps in eastern Chad. But Hamid said he hoped to expand production and slash prices to 350 to 500 CFA francs per kilo to make "green charcoal" available and affordable nationwide. AFP | Joris Bolomey The plant currently produces seven to nine tonnes per day. "If we want to meet the country's needs, we have to increase our output by at least a factor of 10," said Hamid, calling for subsidies to support the budding sector. Environment Minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous told AFP the government was working on a policy to promote such projects. "We need to bet on green charcoal as an energy source for the future of our country," he said.

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Behind the ritualistic drumbeats and cultural performances that typically mark these occasions lies a stark reality: across the continent, youth — especially young women and rural girls — face systemic marginalisation that restricts their access to education, political influence, and economic opportunity. As we reflect during Youth Month, this is not merely a moment for celebration but a clarion call to dismantle exclusion and build inclusive futures grounded in authentic Pan-African values: solidarity, equity, innovation, and self-determination. The time has come to move beyond performative acknowledgement toward transformative action. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Silent Exclusion of Young Women: The Case of Northern Cameroon Cameroon's ratification of major international conventions on gender equality — including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) — has not prevented deep inequalities from persisting, particularly in the North, Adamaoua, and Far North regions. These areas are marked by enduring patriarchal norms that place minimal value on girls' education. As documented by Fadimatou Sali (2022), pervasive stereotypes — including beliefs that educated girls become unmarriageable — systematically drive early school dropouts, child marriage, and lifelong economic dependence. This exclusion transcends gender issues; it represents a fundamental development crisis that undermines the region's entire economic potential. When half the population is systematically excluded from education and formal economic participation, entire communities suffer the consequences. Youth in Urban Centres: From Digital Resistance to Civic Reinvention Urban youth across the continent are writing a different narrative entirely. Digital connectivity and cross-border solidarity networks have enabled them to organise sophisticated resistance movements against authoritarianism, inequality, and systemic exclusion. Social media platforms, encrypted messaging apps, and online organising tools have democratised access to information and coordination capabilities that previous generations could only dream of. As explored by Luntumbue and Kupper (2023), movements like Y'en a Marre (Senegal), Le Balai Citoyen (Burkina Faso), and Filimbi (Democratic Republic of Congo) demonstrate that contemporary youth are far from apolitical — they have simply rejected the hollow promises and corrupt practices of traditional political establishments. These digitally-savvy activists leverage Twitter campaigns, viral videos, and WhatsApp networks to mobilise thousands, often bypassing traditional media gatekeepers entirely. These movements represent more than protest collectives; they embody a fundamental civic transformation. Their digital fluency enables them to document police brutality in real-time, fact-check government propaganda instantly, and coordinate peaceful demonstrations across multiple cities simultaneously — capabilities that fundamentally alter the power dynamics between citizens and states. Youth in Marginalised Urban Communities: The Tunisian Experience A comprehensive 2022 report by International Alert, extensively covered in La Presse de Tunisie, reveals how youth in Tunisia's densely populated neighbourhoods — including Kabaria (Tunis), Kasserine Nord, and Tataouine Nord — confront a development model designed to exclude them. Despite elaborate rhetoric about youth inclusion and numerous dialogue forums, actual public policy implementation has systematically failed to address their fundamental social needs, fostering widespread despair, alienation, and escalating violence. This failure, characterised by researchers as a fundamentally punitive development approach, has contributed to alarming rates of depression and social aggression among young people, with devastating implications for mental health and community cohesion. Youth interviewed for the study expressed profound feelings of state betrayal, citing persistent unemployment, inadequate healthcare access, substandard educational opportunities, and pervasive social stigmatisation. The study reveals how this systematic marginalisation creates a destructive cycle: exclusion breeds frustration, frustration manifests as delinquency and risky behaviour, which then leads to youth incarceration without meaningful rehabilitation programs. Prisons become warehouses of despair rather than spaces for social reintegration, perpetuating rather than breaking cycles of marginalisation. Digital Tools as Liberation Technologies What distinguishes this generation of African youth is their intuitive mastery of digital technologies as tools for social transformation. From organising flash protests through encrypted apps to creating alternative media platforms that bypass state censorship, young Africans are leveraging technology to reclaim agency over their narratives and futures. In countries with restrictive media environments, youth have created underground networks of citizen journalists who document and disseminate information about government corruption, police brutality, and social injustices. Blockchain-based systems enable secure communication and even alternative economic systems that operate beyond state control. This digital fluency represents a fundamental shift in power dynamics. 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However, this recognition must translate into concrete structural inclusion with measurable outcomes and accountability mechanisms.