The new facility was built in Maroua, Far North region, sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme.

Cameroon is making progress in coal production. Especially ecological coal. The country is just from opening a new industry which was donated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The donation has been made to women’s associations in the North and Far North regions of the country.

The aim of the donation is to reduce the use of firewood. The mini-plant was officially inaugurated on December 7 in Maroua, in the presence of Christophe Charbon, UNDP Resident Representative in Cameroon, and chaired by William Bandibeno, representative of the Governor of the Far North Region.

The new plant is located next to the Centre for Appropriate Technologies (Cta) in Maroua, which has already trained the beneficiary women in the production of ecological charcoal. The equipment includes five external ovens, a carbonisation oven, a semi-industrial grinder, a semi-industrial mixer and a cooling chamber.

Equipment includes gloves and overalls, boots, shoes, helmets and goggles, gas masks, a fire extinguisher, a tricycle and a cart. To compensate for the limited availability of electricity, 24 solar panels with a capacity of 10.8 kW support the Enéo connection. According to the director of the Maroua CTA, this support will help empower women in the far north. Gradually, they will be able to become independent by selling charcoal and cutting less firewood.