COMMUNITIES should embrace clean energy technologies and transition from firewood to renewable energy is critical to protecting Zimbabwe’s forests, improving rural livelihoods and ensuring sustainable development, Energy and Power Development minister July Moyo has said.
Speaking during the commissioning of the Tshitulipasi 120kW solar mini-grid and 25 biogas digesters in Beitbridge recently, Moyo said clean energy solutions provide practical alternatives to firewood, helping conserve the environment while improving the quality of life in rural communities.
He warned that continued indiscriminate cutting down of trees, particularly Mopane trees, was threatening the environment and the survival of the region’s prized Mopane worms.
“We should preserve our trees which give us these nice things which we call amacimbi,” Moyo said.
He said biogas technology offers households an affordable and sustainable source of cooking energy.
“So that you do not have to look for firewood, so that you preserve the trees,” he said, urging communities to work towards installing biogas systems in every homestead.
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Moyo also encouraged schools to adopt biogas technology, saying teachers would no longer have to spend valuable time collecting firewood and could instead focus on improving learners’ academic performance.
He encouraged families with at least eight cattle to participate in the Rural Electrification Agency’s biogas programme, explaining that qualifying households could partner with the agency to install biogas digesters.
Moyo called on government ministries to support the expansion of biogas technology by training young people to construct digesters, mobilising women’s groups and educating schoolchildren on the benefits of clean cooking energy.
Meanwhile, Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Albert Nguluve welcomed the government’s investment in renewable energy, saying it was transforming lives in rural communities, while offering a lasting solution to deforestation.
“We, the people of Matabeleland South province, appreciate the efforts being made by the government through the Rural Electrification Agency to transform, empower and uplift the standard of living in our rural communities through the provision of modern energy,” he said.
Nguluve said before independence, electricity and other forms of modern energy were virtually unheard of in rural areas, forcing communities to rely entirely on firewood for cooking, while businesses depended on paraffin-powered refrigerators that limited their growth.
He expressed concern over the rapid loss of forests across the province.
“Today, our forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Every day, I see between 10 and 20 scotch carts transporting freshly cut trees,” he said.
“This project is, therefore, a welcome development for our community because it provides a sustainable alternative to firewood.”
Nguluve appealed for the expansion of similar projects to other rural communities and growth points in line with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s policy of leaving no one and no place behind.
“Once alternative energy is widely available, authorities will be in a stronger position to enforce laws against indiscriminate tree cutting, as people will no longer have the excuse that they have no other source of energy,” he said.
The commissioning of the Tshitulipasi solar mini-grid and 25 biogas digesters is part of ongoing government efforts to expand access to modern energy in rural communities through the Rural Electrification Agency, reducing dependence on traditional biomass fuels while promoting environmental conservation and rural economic development.