A 23-year-old graduate, Ngeliwe Mwenitete from Mwenitete Village, T/A Kyungu in Karonga District has taken a bold step against environmental degradation by turning Bamboo into activated charcoal.
Mwenitete, a holder of Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness Management obtained in 2022, from the Malawi Adventist University says the idea about Bamboo Charcoal began during her college tenure when she came across an article headlined,” Africa’s green gold Untapped.
According to her, the article highlighted the great potential of bamboos towards environmental, economic and social growth in developing countries.
Said Mwenitete: “I was motivated by the passion that I have in contributing towards making my country a better place through entrepreneurship, thereby, enabling eco-friendly technologies and solutions.
“As we take bold steps to confront the pressing challenges of climate change and environmental degradation, it is an opportunity to recognise our passion to safeguard our natural resources for future generations.”
She has told ProjectM that limited financial resources, high competition from illegal charcoal makers and limited technology to increase efficiency and effectiveness, are some of the challenges that are affecting the growth of the project.
About the overall impact of the project, the Karonga-based young entrepreneur has clarified that currently, some people have already adopted the use of sustainable charcoal and through her programme on bamboo awareness campaigns, people have started planting bamboos as they are able to understand the benefits of this plant, making it economical for business and an ideal to reduce deforestation.
“However, we intend to raise awareness about bamboo plant and its potential, to champion bamboo commercialisation in Malawi and scale our production so that we can produce large quantities of bamboo charcoal across Malawi. Initially, we aim at harnessing the country’s technological capabilities to attain sustainable economic growth and development,” said Mwenitete.
She has also said that she has recruited about five permanent employees as part of job creation strategy.
“Currently, we produce more than 30 bags per two weeks due to shortage of raw materials and that production is seasonal. We intend to have out growers who will be given seedlings and be trained on how to take care of the plants, who in turn will be our suppliers,” she concluded.
Environmental Expert Godfrey Mfiti said it is encouraging to see young women in the country taking a leading role in environmental conservation.
Mfiti, who is also Institute for Sustainable Development Executive Director, however, advised her to approach institutions such as the National Economic Empowerment Fund Limited (NEEF) as a way of sourcing funds for her project.
“In other countries, they allocate special funds specifically for such innovative projects and we encourage her to approach financial institutions because once it is replicated on a large scale, we would see a great improvement. As a country we have had a big challenge with deforestation and this could be one of the alternatives,” he said.
The Environmental Activist said it important for other young men and women who can afford to emulate the example of Ngeliwe Mwenitete
Ngeliwe Mwenitete can be contacted on: +265 998 93 37 48 .
