Burning charcoal. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons. License CC0.
Eco-charcoal, a product made using methods and materials that minimize environmental harm, is gradually replacing traditional charcoal in some households in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde.
Access to clean cooking still remains a narrowly addressed issue in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to a 2025 report published by The Earth & I on “Universal Access to Clean Cooking in Africa,” just two sub-Saharan countries (South Africa with 90 percent and Gabon with 91 percent) had relatively high access to clean cooking. Statistics from July 2025 prove that burning wood for charcoal contributes to about 815,000 premature deaths annually, posing a significant health and environmental crisis. In January 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that about 2.1 billion people worldwide, especially in low and middle-income countries, still lack access to clean cooking.
In the last two decades (2001–2025), Cameroon has lost more than 2 million hectares of tree cover, with the wood primarily being used in the cooking sector for household and business use. The ongoing destruction of trees for fuel production poses a significant environmental threat as carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, with fewer trees to absorb it.
Cameroon has recently strengthened its national framework to curb deforestation through a new 2024 Forestry Law, which prioritizes forest conservation, sustainable resource management, and stronger protection of community rights. The law seeks to tighten controls on logging, improve forest monitoring systems, and ensure that local and Indigenous communities benefit from forest resources through legally recognized user rights and participation in decision-making.
In addition to national reforms, Cameroon is implementing major international initiatives such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), which supports countries in cutting forest-related emissions while improving livelihoods, and FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade), aimed at eliminating illegal timber through improved governance and trade verification systems.
In a bid to reduce carbon emissions, which hugely contribute to climate change, some households are opting for an eco-friendly charcoal, also known as briquettes, produced from sustainable, renewable, or recycled waste, such as coconut and palm husk, bamboo, sawdust, and recycled wood. Martin Antoine Issepe has chosen this route for his household and finds eco-charcoal to be a long-lasting solution. He explained to Global Voices:
Biodegradable solid waste often blocks drainages and other water circulation channels, causing floods. Transforming this waste into something tangible ensures a good decrease in the number of trees cut down.
Another user, Lisa Tembe, explains that ecological charcoal does not produce black smoke, which causes respiratory illnesses among users. It also cuts down expenses when it comes to washing kitchen utensils:
Since the pots will not get black, there won’t be any need to spend so much on making them clean.
Maurice Wofo, Technical Director at Stema Group, one of the few companies producing in Yaounde, shared the materials used in its production:
We have as raw materials plantain, cassava, and potato skins, coconut shells, corn stalks amongst others.
He says what while the transformation process involves burning, it is done in an environmentally friendly way:
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is released when the primary materials are being burned to produce the charcoal. This is done in forests where there are trees that can further absorb the emissions.
According to experts, the initiative could provide long-term benefits, as primary components used in manufacturing eco-charcoal are household waste, which are very common and can easily be obtained from homes, food, and roadside vendors.
Strides made by the government
Amongst Environmental Laws in Cameroon is the Code of Hygiene and Sanitation (Law No. 92/020 of 1992), which regulates waste management, sanitation, and public health issues linked to environmental factors. The law regulates waste management, sanitation, and public health issues related to environmental factors. These include:
Solid Waste Management: The Code requires the proper disposal, recycling, and treatment of solid waste, including hazardous waste.
Sanitation: It establishes guidelines for maintaining public hygiene and sanitation standards, including waste water treatment, sewage management, and the safe disposal of chemicals and toxins.
Public Health: The Code helps mitigate environmental health risks, such as those arising from unsanitary waste disposal and water contamination.
Experts in the domain say clean cooking systems are a key solution for the country’s ever-growing population of 30 million people. Muller Nandou Tenkeu, CEO of KEMIT ECOLOGY SARL, located in the country’s economic capital, Douala, says:
The existing hydropower plants are not suitable to cover everyone’s needs, and with the massive growth of the population, it is the only solution that will help in the upcoming years, and it aligns with SDGs 7 and 13.
He also mentions that the government is fully supportive of the sector, as they have been launching annual calls for project proposals for the National Prototype Support Fund since 2021. Furthermore, they plan to raise the clean cooking access rate from 23.4 percent to 40 percent by 2030, according to the National Energy Compact, to better support young producers in expanding the market for clean cooking solutions. Citizens can look forward to further progress as the government continues to take steps to improve cooking solutions in the country.
