COP18: The low tech renewables changing lives in Africa

COP18: The low tech renewables changing lives in Africa

COP18 (06/12/12) – Amina Junaid Sani and Ladi Ahmed Auwal, SME Funds, says a biofuel gel produced from sawdust, grass and waste paper and solar lamps are more effective alternatives to kerosene, which is increasingly difficult to get hold of.

Some estimates record that over 90% of Nigerians use kerosene for cooking, which has experienced huge price fluctuations in the past year.

“This fuel is selling a dollar per litre, so it is affordable for [them], when you take it to local women in the villages you know what they are going through. It’s hard to get kerosene and people are keen to use this,” says Sani.

Solar lamps meanwhile, can provide affordable, clean lighting across rural Africa, not just in Nigeria, says Auwal.