SWOFON, UN Women Distribute Biogas Stoves to 250 Bauchi Women to Promote Biogas Technology

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

No fewer than 250 women in Bauchi State are to be provided with biogas stoves by the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisations in Nigeria (SWOFON) with support from UN Women.

The disclosure was made yesterday during Town hall meetings embarked upon by the group in order to create awareness on the use of low-cost biogas technology.

The town hall meetings with community and religious leaders took place in Dass and Bauchi Local Government Areas of Bauchi State.

The National Public Relations Officer of the organisation, Marka Abbas, said the introduction of biogas technology is to help households with cheaper energy source for cooking.

According to her, “Today, households find it difficult to cook with gas or kerosene, and even firewood is beyond their reach. So biogas technology is an innovation that should be used as an alternative.”

She stated that the town hall meetings with community and religious leaders is to introduce the new technology, and to seek their support in creating awareness among their communities.

Abass said that: “Your roles in the community is very vital as you are closer to the people, so we solicit your support in talking to your people about the importance of the use of biogas.”

She further told the gathering that SWOFON, with funding from UN Women, is to provide biogas stoves to 250 women from the two pilot local government areas of Bauchi and Dass.

In his presentation on biogas technology, a lecturer with the Department of Chemical Engineering, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Dr. Usman Hamza, said that biogas can be generated from feed stocks, animal dung, municipal and industrial waste.

He added that other sources are from straw, food and market wastes, saying that: “Everyday we generate waste in our houses and instead of throwing it away, it can be used to generate biogas by households.”

Usman Hamza also said that biogas is cost effective and environmental friendly which can be used as often as possible.

The Programme Manager, Bauchi State Agricultural Development Program (BSADP), Yau Mohammed, said that the world is evolving and people are in the need to adapt to new technology.

According to him, “If you look around there are no trees for firewood of charcoal and thus embracing biogas is the only alternative for now.”

The District Head of Miri, Husseini Abubakar, said that biogas promotes clean cooking and there is no smoke and can be used by every household, including women suffering from asthma.

He added that if accepted by all, it will prevent deforestation and mitigate the effects of climate change in our communities.

Representative of the Bauchi State Ministry of Women Affairs, Child Development and Social Welfare, Esther Patrick, said that UN Women has been in the state since 2020 providing support to women in the area of peace and security as well as women mediation among others.