For three national reforestation seasons Mudi Sacco Limited has been planting trees around Mudi Dam in Blantyre as part of its community investment.
The savings and credit cooperative is named after a river that runs through the heart of Blantyre City.
It prides in efforts to make the commercial city green again, but shareholders are concerned that green spaces are disappearing faster than they are being replenished.
Mudi Sacco head of business development Charo Agnes Jawadu says they are aware that energy poverty—with at least 95 percent of Malawian cooking using firewood and charcoal–exerts pressure on forests.
The cooperative has signed an agreement with Gasman, suppliers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), for Sacco members to get gas, gas cylinders, cookers and other accessories on loan.
Jawadu expects access to clean cooking technologies to help Sacco members save the trees in the city’s forested zones, currently under siege due to illegal logging and charcoal production.
“We are promoting the use of clean energy in line with our environmental and sustainable development policy,” says Jawadu.
Gasman director Mark Wheeler says LPG use could help slow deforestation and save lives at risk of deadly diseases associated with burning smoky fuelwood.
The switch to LPG is part of the national push to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) seven: Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.
“We discussed with Mudi Sacco to provide financial services to their members so that they can acquire accessories and cylinders,” he says.
The deal, renewable annually, comes at a time Mudi Sacco’s membership has hit 22 000.
The deal will also benefit those who may wish to join the cooperative during the contract period.
Those who get gas equipment are expected to repay the loan within 12 months.
Gasman assures LPG users of steady access to cooking gas.
“There were problems with forex, but now things are looking much better,” says Wheeler.
Wheeler signs the clean cooking deal as Jawadu looks on. | Andrew Mtupanyama
