Innovative grass charcoal fuels opportunity in Ghana

“The idea of grass charcoal had never crossed my mind!” exclaims Mary Tiekor, Handi Women’s
Group member and charcoal producer, as she holds a freshly made organic briquette in her hands.
“And yet, here it is – and the process is so quick!”
Like Mary, over six million people in Ghana’s savannah ecological zone depend on wood fuel and tree
charcoal for daily use, and this represents just a fraction of the more than 2.4 billion people
worldwide that rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking, energy and income.
Unsustainable practices in charcoal production have led to deforestation and degradation of the
country’s environment and continue to do so. These environmental challenges are compounded by
Ghana’s severe dry season, during which the abundant savannah grass often fuels the characteristic
wildfires of those months. The fires can decimate crops and consequently threaten food security.
Now, savannah grass can be used to fuel stoves thanks to a new charcoal production method
developed and piloted as part of an initiative by the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and
Development Studies (MITDS), with financial and technical support from the Forest and Farm Facility
(FFF) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The new production
method aims to capitalize on the potential of the region’s grasses, helping reduce fire risk and forest
degradation while contributing to ecological, economic and social goals.
“We have plenty of grass everywhere, but we never knew that it could be useful or help us alleviate
poverty,” says Biirbarimah Inuur, a 40-year-old charcoal producer from Naafaa community in the
Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district of Ghana’s Savannah region.

“The idea of grass charcoal had never crossed my mind!” exclaims Mary Tiekor, Handi Women’s
Group member and charcoal producer, as she holds a freshly made organic briquette in her hands.
“And yet, here it is – and the process is so quick!”
Like Mary, over six million people in Ghana’s savannah ecological zone depend on wood fuel and tree
charcoal for daily use, and this represents just a fraction of the more than 2.4 billion people
worldwide that rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking, energy and income.
Unsustainable practices in charcoal production have led to deforestation and degradation of the
country’s environment and continue to do so. These environmental challenges are compounded by
Ghana’s severe dry season, during which the abundant savannah grass often fuels the characteristic
wildfires of those months. The fires can decimate crops and consequently threaten food security.
Now, savannah grass can be used to fuel stoves thanks to a new charcoal production method
developed and piloted as part of an initiative by the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and
Development Studies (MITDS), with financial and technical support from the Forest and Farm Facility
(FFF) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The new production
method aims to capitalize on the potential of the region’s grasses, helping reduce fire risk and forest
degradation while contributing to ecological, economic and social goals.
“We have plenty of grass everywhere, but we never knew that it could be useful or help us alleviate
poverty,” says Biirbarimah Inuur, a 40-year-old charcoal producer from Naafaa community in the
Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district of Ghana’s Savannah region.