How the charcoal industry is creating equality in Namibia

STAFF REPORTERWINDHOEKWhile the charcoal sector is often thought of as being a male-oriented industry, women are taking on greater roles in the charcoal production value chain.In sub-Saharan Africa, the charcoal sector has seen a boom in recent years and is providing an opportunity for many women to level their economic playing fields.Behind the masks and gloves, in the dust of a charcoal packing plant, women hold most of the team leader positions at Jumbo Charcoal.This charcoal packing plant is one of Namibia’s largest exporters of charcoal, and one of the first in the country to register with the Forestry Stewardship.“My mother passed away in December 2007, while I was busy writing my grade 12 examinations. My father was living in Okahandja and told me to come live with him. We had financial problems, and so I started looking for a job, and I found out that Jumbo Charcoal was recruiting. I started at Jumbo as a packer,” says Taimi Ndilimani.Ndilimani started working on the floor of the production plant, as a charcoal packer, 12 years ago. Today she is a manager at Jumbo Charcoal, and her salary supports her father, her five siblings and her own children."I feel very proud. Working for Jumbo Charcoal, it is like a family company so I can say I am the lucky one,” she says.“There is no discrimination among the men and women here. The work can be done by both women and men.”Gender equalityLast year Ndilimani was recognised for her achievements and awarded the Shooting Star Employee Award at the Women in Biomass Industry Awards 2020.Speaking at the awards ceremony, Benson Matali, acting deputy director for Gender Mainstreaming at the gender equality ministry, noted that the biomass industry is one of the enablers that can help the country to achieve women’s economic empowerment in Namibia and said that government is cognisant of the fact and the role that women play towards socio-economic development of Namibia.Creating awareness of the empowerment opportunities available in the charcoal sector, a public Biochar Demonstration Day was held at the Namibia Charcoal Association (NCA) Charcoal Village last November.Here the public was shown how to produce biochar from encroacher bush, and also what possible applications this could have.Biochar opportunitiesNatasha Brinkman, a communal farmer who farms close to Okahandja, attended this event, and found out about the opportunities this sector holds for women.“We are so many unemployed women, and we are suffering at the farm,” says Brinkman.“It was so interesting. We learnt about biochar, and it is made from biomass material from the field. You do not pay for it, it’s almost like a recycling project. I could collect the biomass from the field and make biochar from this. It really surprised me.”The Namibian biomass industry has almost doubled its employment from 6 000 to 11 000 within the past five years and creates diversified opportunities for both men and women.More than 200 women have already benefited from technical support in sustainable bush control and biomass utilisation.

How the charcoal industry is creating equality in Namibia

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-02-21

Please login to leave a comment

How the charcoal industry is creating equality in Namibia

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-02-21

Please login to leave a comment

Login