West Africa: Biodigesters

Indoor air pollution has serious health, environmental, and economic impacts. Created when solid wood fuels are burned for cooking and heating, indoor air pollution is responsible for almost 4 million premature deaths annually.

The National Biogas Program of Burkina Faso promotes the use of biodigesters, which convert manure and organic household waste into both, a clean fuel that can be used for cooking and a nutrient rich fertilizer that can be used for agriculture. Biodigesters can greatly reduce indoor air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while providing families with a renewable source of energy.

On December 30, 2016, Ci-Dev signed an Emissions Reductions Purchase Agreement (ERPA) with the SNV Netherlands Development Organization for the purchase of certified emission reductions (CERs) to be generated by biogas digesters installed in rural households in Burkina Faso through the end of 2024.

Carbon revenues from Ci-Dev will be used to support and scale-up the National Biogas Program of Burkina Faso, implemented by the Ministry of Animal Resources with technical support from SNV. Ci-Dev will purchase carbon credits generated by the 35,000 biodigesters to be installed during the program’s development. These funds will help the project to continue disseminating information on the benefits of biodigesters for clean cooking and agricultural improvement, training masons on biodigester construction, and conducting quality control measures. The project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 540,000 tons of CO2 by 2025.