Actualité

𝐈𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 “𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥” 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐥

N’Djamena, Chad

Thursday, July 03, 2025

Under the scorching sun of Chad, a country threatened by desertification, some twenty workers zigzag from one machine to another on the production site of a so-called “ecological” coal, at Pont Belile, north of N’Djamena.
The mercury hovers around 45 degrees Celsius and a black dust invades everything, right down to the workers’ faces. Just outside the Chadian capital, the Association pour le développement socio-économique Raikina (Adser) has set itself the goal of producing a fuel to reduce pressure on the country’s natural resources by combating illegal logging.
The charcoal produced is derived from unused plant waste: millet and sesame stalks, cobs and palm fronds. The charred residues are ground and mixed with gum arabic to facilitate ignition, and clay to slow combustion.
This so-called “ecological” charcoal has “less off-gassing than traditional charcoal, does not blacken pots, has a high calorific value and lasts up to three times longer than charcoal”, maintains Ousmane Alhadj Oumarou, Technical Director of the Adser NGO.

Workers mix clay with water at Grace International’s green coal production site in N’Djamena, Chad, on April 30, 2025. Under the scorching sun of Chad, a country threatened by desertification, about twenty workers zigzag from one machine to another on the production site of so-called “ecological” charcoal, in Pont Belile, north of N’Djamena. The produced charcoal comes from unexploited plant waste: millet stems, sesame stems, or palm fronds. The carbonized residues are crushed and then mixed with a maceration of gum arabic to facilitate ignition, and clay to slow down combustion. (Photo by Joris Bolomey / AFP)

Workers put a mixture of carbonized agricultural waste and binders into a coal press at Grace International’s green coal production site in N’Djamena, Chad, on April 30, 2025. Under the scorching sun of Chad, a country threatened by desertification, about twenty workers zigzag from one machine to another on the production site of so-called “ecological” charcoal, in Pont Belile, north of N’Djamena. The produced charcoal comes from unexploited plant waste: millet stems, sesame stems, or palm fronds. The carbonized residues are crushed and then mixed with a maceration of gum arabic to facilitate ignition, and clay to slow down combustion. (Photo by Joris Bolomey / AFP)

A worker holds coal pebbles in his hand at Grace International’s green coal production site in N’Djamena, Chad, on April 30, 2025. Under the scorching sun of Chad, a country threatened by desertification, about twenty workers zigzag from one machine to another on the production site of so-called “ecological” charcoal, in Pont Belile, north of N’Djamena. The produced charcoal comes from unexploited plant waste: millet stems, sesame stems, or palm fronds. The carbonized residues are crushed and then mixed with a maceration of gum arabic to facilitate ignition, and clay to slow down combustion. (Photo by Joris Bolomey / AFP)

While the term “ecological charcoal” is a contradiction in terms, according to Souleymane Adam Adey, a teacher-researcher in ecology and conservation of Sahelian ecosystems at the University of N’Djamena, “we use this term because (ecological charcoal) helps to combat deforestation, and trees that are not cut down (to make fire or produce charcoal) continue to sequester carbon”.
“This type of charcoal (…) inevitably produces CO2 emissions”, but at a lower level than charcoal, according to the researcher, who predicts that “in the future, we will rely on bamboo cultivation, as in Kenya, for the large-scale production of ecological charcoal”.
– “Desertification” –
In Africa, this type of fuel is mainly used for cooking. According to official figures, in Chad, “overexploitation of wood resources for household use combined with climate change have led to deforestation of over 90% of the national heritage” since the 1970s.
Moreover, according to Ismaël Hamid, the 45-year-old businessman who heads Adser, “desertification has progressed in regions hosting Sudanese refugees over the past two years”. Since the start of the conflict in Sudan in 2023, over 800,000 Sudanese have fled to Chad, where 400,000 were already living.

To reduce wood cutting, Adser has started producing charcoal from plant waste. “Using one kilogram of ecological charcoal avoids cutting six kilograms of green wood,” asserts Ousmane Alhadj Oumarou.
After an initial investment of 200 million CFA francs (300,000 euros), Mr. Hamid obtained the support of the World Bank, which buys the charcoal for 750 CFA francs per kilo (just over one euro).
Initially, the coal is being distributed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to refugee camps in the east of the country, but the entrepreneur hopes to produce more for the rest of the country.
– Multiplying production –
The plant now produces between seven and nine tons of coal a day, estimates Ousmane Alhadj Oumarou, a Sudanese-born Chadian businessman who lives between N’Djamena, London and Dubai.
To expand production to the rest of the country, “the price has to come down, to between 350 and 500 francs a kilo”, says Mr. Hamid, who hopes to open two production lines and a carbonization center.
The project is estimated at 100 million CFA francs (150,000 euros) for an expected production of 300 tons per month. “If we want to cover the country’s needs, we’re going to have to increase production by at least a factor of 10”, he says. This will require “other entrepreneurs to invest in this sector”.

A worker fills bags with coal pebbles at Grace International’s green coal production site in N’Djamena, Chad, on April 30, 2025. Under the scorching sun of Chad, a country threatened by desertification, about twenty workers zigzag from one machine to another on the production site of so-called “ecological” charcoal, in Pont Belile, north of N’Djamena. The produced charcoal comes from unexploited plant waste: millet stems, sesame stems, or palm fronds. The carbonized residues are crushed and then mixed with a maceration of gum arabic to facilitate ignition, and clay to slow down combustion. (Photo by Joris Bolomey / AFP)

Only one other Chadian company, Karo Entreprise, has a similar production line. It has been selling its coal since 2023 at 300 CFA francs per kilo, and last year produced 255 tonnes.
The entrepreneurs are calling on the Chadian government to develop the sector. “Ecological coal needs to be subsidized to make it affordable,” says Ismaël Hamid.
The possibility is “conceivable and even desirable”, replies Hassan Bakhit Djamous, Minister of the Environment, in a letter to AFP. He says he is committed to “drawing up a national policy to promote coal”, referring in particular to possible “tax exemptions”. “Ecological coal is an energy on which we must bank for the future of our country, which is the advanced front of desertification in the Sahel”, he concludes.

Humaniterre with AFP