By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Sumbrungu (U/E), April 4, GNA – Ms Justina Awennanyami, a 23-year-old female student of the Bolgatanga Midwifery Training College, has developed a Business Model dubbed “Briquette Charcoal Production” to help mitigate the climate change menace.
Ms Awennanyami made this known at the Bolgatanga Technical University campus when she showcased her Business Model at the graduation ceremony, organised by the Youth Challenge International Programme, a Canadian non-governmental organisation, under the Herstart Project.
Briquetting is a process where grass, sawdust and human waste are compressed under high pressure to form solid substances (briquette) that can be used as fuel for heating purposes.
The technology involves the use of grass, considered a nuisance, as raw materials to produce quality charcoal as renewable energy to serve as an alternative to tree charcoal.
The final-year student, who hails from Fumbisi in the Builsa South District in the Upper East Region, explained that her business model had the potential of not only improving the economic well-being of women but also the potentials of tackling climate change and curbing forest depletion in the area.
She explained that, unlike traditional charcoal, charcoal briquettes were environmentally friendly as they did not release harmful chemicals into the atmosphere when burnt.
She stated that apart from briquettes having a long shelf life and could be stored for a long time without deteriorating, they were also easy to light and produced less ash than traditional charcoal.
She stated that the briquette production would provide alternative livelihoods to take the women in the area from felling down trees indiscriminately for charcoal production which was one of the major factors causing desertification in the area.
“There are abundant raw materials available in the district that could be tapped for the Briquette Production. For instance, rice husks are always found in the Fumbisi Valley,” she stressed.
The final-year student stated that she came up with the Business Model after she had conducted a needs assessment and realised that one of the major problems confronting the area was the depletion of the environment by human activities.
She disclosed that her long-term vision was to establish a Briquette Production Industry in the District to employ more people alongside her nursing profession and appealed for support.
A total of 38 participants graduated from the eight-week training programme in Social Entrepreneurship Development Businesses and were given certificates.
They took turns to showcase their respective developed Business Models to be implemented in their communities.
Professor Daniel Azerikatoa Ayoung, The Programme Team Leader, indicated those who would be qualified for the next stage stood to win between 1,000 and 5,000 Canadian dollars to commence their business ventures.
He explained that the programme was designed to support young women between the ages of 18 and 35 years to realise a sustainable livelihood through social entrepreneurship.
He indicated that the intervention, which supported the gender inclusivity agenda of Bolgatanga Technical University, had empowered a lot of young women to establish their own enterprises.
All the 38 participants who graduated from the eight weeks’ training in Social Entrepreneurship were given certificates and are qualified to apply for the next stage for equipment and logistics as a form of support to start their own businesses.
GNA