Govt to train women, youth in making briquettes
What you need to know:
- Dr Slyvia Aarakit, the project lead, said the training is a pilot consultancy project between Fenara Consultants, Mubs, the Ministry of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Platform and Nakawa Vocational Training College
The Green Energy for Youth and Women Resilience Project Uganda has partnered with the ministries of Energy and Education and Makerere University Business School to start training women and youth to manufacture standard briquettes and energy-saving cooking stoves.
Dr Slyvia Aarakit, the project lead, said the training is a pilot consultancy project between Fenara Consultants, Mubs, the Ministry of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Platform and Nakawa Vocational Training College.
“We received funding from the International Development Research Centre Canada to conduct this pilot consultancy project in Nakawa Division where we are training 50 women and youth to make specialised standard cook stoves and briquettes to bridge the skills gap through technical vocational education training,” she said.
She explained that the project is targeting informal groups such as women and youths involved in cooking in slums, roadsides and markets. It is also equipping them with skills such as business registration, bookkeeping and tax education.
Dr Aarakit was speaking at the end of a three-day training workshop for women and youth from Mbuya in Nakawa Division, Kampala, on Friday.
She added that after the training, they expect the beneficiaries to acquire more knowledge about green energy solutions and they also expect people living in the informal settlements to improve their cooking experience and look at renewable energy as a source of income and livelihood.
She said Mubs, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development together with the National Renewable Energy Platform are developing the materials for training while the Nakawa Vocational Training College will provide the hands-on training.
Dr Nicholas Mukisa, the deputy national coordinator of National Renewable Energy Platform at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, said the pilot project is a result of the deliberations from the National Renewable Energy Conference held last month in Kampala.
Some of the recommendations from the conference included building capacity in the lower tier of the community to promote and develop alternative technologies for those who cannot afford ethanol, LPG gas, solar cooking, and electricity.
He said they intend to roll out the project nationwide.
