Empowering Communities: Transforming Shea Waste into Sustainable Energy in Uganda

Alebtong, Uganda – Upon returning from six years as a child rights activist in South Sudan’s refugee settlements, Lucy Everlyn Atim discovered the absence of a familiar landmark: her cherished shea tree.

Locally known as moyao, the tree had been integral to her childhood, where mornings were spent beneath its branches enjoying its sweet, creamy fruit before heading to school. Its disappearance mirrored a broader crisis in northern Uganda, where widespread shea tree deforestation for charcoal production has occurred.

“The destruction of shea trees is alarming,” Atim, now a climate activist, explained to Al Jazeera. “These trees require protection, but people also need an alternative fuel source.”

Uganada loses an estimated 122,000 hectares of forest annually, primarily to charcoal production and logging. With 90% of households relying on charcoal for cooking, indigenous species like shea and Afzelia africana face critical endangerment.

According to Makerere University research, mature shea tree populations on fallow land declined from 20 trees in 2008 to 10–15 by 2017. Dr. Patrick Byakagaba, the study’s lead researcher, noted the scarcity of data on declining shea populations and emphasized the need for studies on tree density, sapling survival, and regeneration.

Tracking this decline is challenging, as charcoal producers often uproot entire trees, leaving no stumps for measurement.

During her work in South Sudan, Atim encountered a woman in Yida producing fuel briquettes from discarded shea husks. Intrigued, she recognized the potential for replication in Uganda.

In 2023, Atim launched the Moyao Africa Initiative, a social enterprise converting shea waste into fuel briquettes while enabling women to earn income through shea butter processing.

The initiative employs six staff members and collaborates with over 1,200 women in savings groups to collect waste, produce briquettes, and process butter.

“Women bear the burden of securing cooking fuel,” Atim stated. “By training them in briquette and shea butter production, we create income while offering an affordable charcoal alternative.”

Training for Sustainable Solutions

In Alebtong, 15 women gathered on a hot afternoon for a Moyao Africa Initiative training session.

These chairpersons from district savings groups learned to transform discarded shea husks into cooking fuel through a straightforward process: collection, crushing, mixing with clay and cassava flour, molding, sun-drying, and storage.

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The session transitioned to hands-on practice: women crushed husks in wooden mortars, excavated clay soil, and mixed cassava paste as a binding agent before pressing the mixture into molds for sun-drying.

Catherine Akello, chairperson of the Oteno Moyao Africa Women’s Group in Abwoc village, shared her transformation: previously valuing only shea kernels for butter production, she now utilizes husks for fuel.

“I no longer worry about purchasing charcoal since I make my own briquettes from shea husks,” Akello, a 47-year-old mother of five, shared with Al Jazeera. “Group sales provide emergency savings for our families.”

While demand grows, seasonal shea harvests limit production. To address this, Atim is fundraising for equipment ($530) to process waste year-round and scale butter production from 600 to 6,000 liters annually.

A Shared Vision for Sustainability

Renewable energy expert Bosco Odyek affirmed that converting shea husks into briquettes presents a practical alternative to charcoal by repurposing waste materials.

Using a carboniser would produce cleaner-burning, smokeless briquettes. Beyond fuel, Moyao Africa Initiative operates environmental clubs in 20 local schools and partners with the National Agricultural Research Organisation to distribute tree seedlings for landscape restoration.

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Humanitarian expert Paul Mwirichia emphasized that while Uganda has strong clean energy policies, implementation gaps persist for rural households. “Government support for grassroots organizations is critical — communities trust them to solve local challenges,” he noted.

For Atim, the mission centers on preserving the shea tree that shaped her childhood. By converting husks into fuel, she aims to prevent tree cutting while empowering women economically.

“We are leaving no one behind,” Atim affirmed.

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