11 Feb 2025

Ministry of Environment and Tourism and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have embarked on a biogas production and promotion project.

Briefing the North East District administration management team on Monday, Principal Energy Engineer, Mr Edwin Khethiwe, said the project which started, from 2017 to 2021, was funded at the tune of P35 million. 

He said the principal objective of the use of biogas development in Botswana was to promote the production and utilisation of biogas as a clean, renewable energy source derived from agricultural waste (cow dung). 

Mr Khethiwe noted that the project was primarily aimed to provide a sustainable fuel for rural communities while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions that affected the ozone layer. 

“The technology uses cow dung and it assists farmers by reducing piling of cow dung in their kraals. The cow dung would be collected while fresh before methane gas escapes into the atmosphere to pollute the environment. The gas could be used for cooking, space heating in poultry houses during winter time and lighting,” he said, adding that people who had started the use of the technology had since stopped cutting down trees for firewood. 

This, he said, contributed to the country’s climate change mitigation efforts while aligning with the National Development Plan (NDP11) to improve energy access and security of supply. 

“This is typically implemented through projects focused on capacity building, biogas plant establishment, and knowledge sharing platforms to facilitate widespread adoption of biogas technology across the country, particularly in the southeastern regions where agro-waste is readily available,” he noted. 

Already, he said 77 graduates from brigades had been trained and were also given 31 digesters to construct as part of their practicals.

He said more training would be conducted in selected brigades so that digester constructors would be within reach.

He further said during the NDP11, the ministry received around P20 million for the expansion of the project, capacity building, awareness creation and conducting biogas study and training of additional 200 youth in the district who did not receive training. 

The other target was that during training, trainees should build about 190 digesters in the northern part. In the northern part, they were started in Serowe, Mahalapye, Kasane, Maun, Ghanzi, Nata, Palapye, Letlhakane and Selebi Phikwe and currently the training is ongoing for Zwenshambe Brigade graduates,” he said, adding that another training was conducted in Hukuntsi. 

 “For trainees to be qualified, they should be exposed to three digesters,” he said, adding that they provide protective clothing like overalls, boots, goggles, camping equipment as they will be staying at the farm and an allowance of around P2 900. 

Responding to questions from the team, the ministry’s energy engineer, Mr Jimmy Gabatshwane said they prefer engaging famers on the biogas project as they already had access to cow dung.

However, he said they were not leaving others out as some could have the potential to collect sludge at the slaughterhouses and feed their digesters.

For her part, North East District Commissioner, Ms Wame Samapipi, acknowledged the importance of the project.

She said there was value chain in the production of biogas as one could use the gas for enhancing their businesses such as catering. ENDS