We at Greening Africa Together are a non-profit network of NGOs, universities and institutions that have set ourselves the goal of encouraging and supporting young people in the fight against climate change. We work closely with our partner universities in Africa and the local population.

Visit us at:

 

In the last years, the south of Senegal has been under great pressure due to the uncontrolled cutting of forests. The Greening Africa Together initiative together with the NGO Forêt Internationale, aims its efforts to generate sustainable practices in the communities of the zone and raise awareness about this urgent problem.  

 

In 2019, the village of Essom took part in the project. The village is located 383 km away of Dakar, near the southern border with Gambia. The population, of currently 1.362 people, lives mainly from traditional cow breeding and agriculture.

Currently, the villagers cook with charcoal produced from wood from the surrounding forests. This has diminished the vegetation to dangerous levels. In an effort to stop this activity and avoid irreversible damages, the community of Essom, Greening Africa Together, Forêt Internationale and the local company Casabio have begun the construction of a biogas plant in the village.    

   

The biogas plant consists of a 14 m3 underground digestor. It is to be filled with 120 kg/day of cow manure, and will produce 17 m3/day of methane. As a subproduct, the plant will generate fertilizer that will be sold by the locals, giving them another source of income. 

 

In March and April, we are traveling to Essom. Together with other local students and the villagers, we will finish the construction of the plant. We will also build a kitchen (to be used by the village hospital and the local community) and do the piping connection to the plant. Our aim is to ensure the biogas plant has begun working and is producing gas by the time we leave Senegal.   

 

Initially, 80% of the construction cost was financed by the senegalese government through the Senegalese National Biogas Programme. Unfortunately, the government lowered the contribution for all biogas projects to 20%. This change has created a titanic challenge for the financing of biogas projects in Senegal.

For the successful completion of this project, we need to raise the following amounts; 
652€ - Building materials 
333€ - Professional workforce

 

We believe that technical solutions make no sense if the human factor is not a priority. That is why we give great value to interactions between all the involved actors, working together to achieve a sustainable future for all.