Adopt biogas to develop rural Africa

Lazarus Sauti

Africa is a continent gifted with renewable energy sources.

The unfortunate thing is that the continent is yet to use these resources to improve the livelihood of its people.

In fact, the continent is faced with an energy crisis and this is hampering its development.

Africa is suffering because energy plays a critical role in national development process. Lest we forget, all life on earth depends in some way upon energy.

Thus, energy affects all aspects of development – social, economic, political and environmental - including access to health, water, agricultural productivity, industrial productivity, education and other vital services that improve the quality of life.

Therefore, biogas energy can easy pressure from most African countries and enhance their economic and sustainable growth.

In his paper “Biogas technology in sub-Saharan: status, prospects and constraints,” Wilson Parawira says the production of biogas is of paramount importance to the African community.

He explains that, “The production of biogas via anaerobic digestion of large quantities of agricultural residues, municipal wastes and industrial waste (water) would benefit African society by providing a clear fuel in the form of biogas from renewable feed stocks and help end energy poverty.”

As a result, ensuring the provision of adequate, affordable, efficient and reliable high-quality energy services with minimum adverse effect on the environment in sustainable way is not only pivotal for development, but crucial for African countries.

To start with, African nations should invest in small bio-digesters to provide energy to the African citizenry.

The simple small bio-digester is the important and ideal energy tool for development in Africa, especially in the rural areas.

The simple small bio-digester is a physical structure used to provide an anaerobic condition which stimulates various chemical and microbiological reactions resulting in the decomposition of input slurries and the production of biogas – mainly methane.

Apart from the production of useful gas, anaerobic digestion stabilises wastes so that when they are discharged, they are less of a hazard than would be the case with raw materials.

So, biogas technology – a system designed to turn organic waste products into usable energy - offers many benefits to the continent.

Biogas technology enables people living in rural and urban areas to make use of their own resources with means at their disposal and to obtain a low cost, inexhaustible supply of energy and fertiliser.

Biogas provides clean cooking energy, reduces pollution and reduces the time needed for traditional biomass collection.

The slurry is also a clean organic fertiliser that potentially increases agricultural productivity.

Capturing methane generated in a biogas digester has an immensely important role to play with respect to rural energisation, poverty alleviation and development, increased industrial and agricultural efficiency and competitiveness, and improved management of our greenhouse gas emissions

Consequently, biogas should be propagated in Africa mainly as a supplier of energy and African governments should promote all benefits associated with the technology.

Parawira adds: “Honestly, use of biogas is the future for our poor communities especially in rural areas, so African governments policies should reflect that need.

“Biogas must be encouraged, promoted, invested, researched, demonstrated and implemented in the continent.”

To promote the use of biogas energy in Africa, political leaders should also set up bio-gas institutes for the promotion of bio-gas technology.

Therefore, there is a need of technical cooperation of African governments and experts in the biogas sector to enhance the use of biogas energy in Africa.

Adopting biogas technology is not cheap. Money is needed for the primary cost of installing biogas plants.

Consequently, an important factor that affects the adoption of biogas plant is lack of funds for initial cost of installing the biogas plants.

Therefore, it is the duty of policy makers in Africa to source resources for the preliminary cost of installing the plants.

African leaders and stakeholders in the energy sector should support programmes on local biogas activities since the continent needs sustainable energy supplies to be in a position to develop socio-economically.

The corporate sector must also take the lead in promoting activities that aims to establish commercially viable biogas sectors in which African companies market, install and serve biogas plants for African households.

Despite some negative factors such as lack of funds, biogas technology can be a vehicle for far-fetched and achievable rural development in the continent.

It is a naked truth that African nations need sustainable energy supplies to be in a position to improve economically.