Liberia: Charcoal Union Craves Gov't’s Attention

 

 

-Wants loan opportunities for members to expand their businesses

Despite being the primary source of households' access to cooking and heating fuel in urban and suburban communities across the country for over a century, the charcoal industry has never been an organized one. This means little or no attention from the government and other major actors has been given to the hundreds of thousands of Liberians, especially women, who are involved in the production of this delicate household product. 

There is, however,  a need to shed light on the challenges and opportunities that this industry presents to the overall economy of the country— and it is out of this desire that the newly established Liberia United Charcoal Union (LUCU) has been launched.

LUCU’s president, Alfred H. Kilimi, said the gross lack of attention for charcoal workers across Liberia from central governments over the years, in so many ways, has been mainly responsible for the harsh economic difficulties charcoal producers and traders are currently facing.

These challenges, Kilimi said in a speech delivered on the occasion marking the Official Launch of the union  at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Stadium held on Saturday, June 4, range from bottlenecks in accessing much- needed loans from commercial banks, lack of budgetary support from the central government, and a lack of other empowerment opportunities.

It was out of the desire to solve their individual problems through collective means with a collective voice that LUCU was birthed.  “We will now take our rightful seat at the table of national decision-making, by speaking with one voice for the general well being of the Liberian charcoal industry,” Kilimi said. He also said that the industry needs to be properly coordinated in order to fit within the efforts against climate change. 

Charcoal production is considered a very important venture in the country. In the absence of or lack of constant electricity in the country, the industry has served the country as the only source of household and industrial fuel for decades.

In addition to being the primary source of fuel for cooking and heating in the fireplace and woodstove, charcoal is the traditional fuel of a blacksmith's forge and other applications where an intense heat is required. It has been advocated as a way to improve the health of people who burn raw biomass for cooking and/or heating.

“This very important industry comprises mostly single mothers and elderly women, including hard working men, who for decades, have lived in the rural parts of Liberia. These people go through difficulties aimed at keeping charcoal on the local market. It is sad that they are hardly recognized by the national government, not even the ones in the past,” Kilimi said at the program.

“This very important industry comprises mostly single mothers and elderly women, including
hardworking men, who for decades, have lived in the rural parts of Liberia. These people go
through difficulties aimed at keeping charcoal on the local market. It is sad that they are hardly
recognized by the national government, not even the ones in the past,” Kilimi said at the
program.

“This very important industry comprises mostly single mothers and elderly women, including
hardworking men, who for decades, have lived in the rural parts of Liberia. These people go
through difficulties aimed at keeping charcoal on the local market. It is sad that they are hardly
recognized by the national government, not even the ones in the past,” Kilimi said at the
program.

“This very important industry comprises mostly single mothers and elderly women, including
hardworking men, who for decades, have lived in the rural parts of Liberia. These people go
through difficulties aimed at keeping charcoal on the local market. It is sad that they are hardly
recognized by the national government, not even the ones in the past,” Kilimi said at the
program.

Inspite of their sacrificial services to the nation, producers barely live a dignified life because of
the lack of livable profits that are dwarfed. “Many of these people are single and breastfeeding
mothers, widows, unemployed youths, and many others,” the LUCU president said.

“Members of the charcoal industry continue to carry the worry of daily mockery by end-users.
They have been constantly robbed of their dignity, respect, and honor, mainly due to their
inability to comply with paying high interest rates to borrowers, and others.

“Yet, the indelible positive role being played by these ordinary citizens in the production of
charcoal for public consumption and economic growth and development cannot be overemphasized,” he said. “I could go on and on in naming the worries, challenges, and difficult
conditions members of this industry are faced with, including harassment by some corrupt
individuals working under the pretext of being state security personnel.” 

 of their sacrificial services to the nation, producers barely live a dignified life because of the lack of livable profits that are dwarfed. “Many of these people are single and breastfeeding mothers, widows, unemployed youths, and many others,” the LUCU president said.

“Members of the charcoal industry continue to carry the worry of daily mockery by end-users. They have been constantly robbed of their dignity, respect, and honor, mainly due to their inability to comply with paying high interest rates to borrowers, and others.

“Yet, the indelible positive role being played by these ordinary citizens in the production of charcoal for public consumption and economic growth and development cannot be over emphasized,” he said. “I could go on and on in naming the daily challenges and difficult conditions members of this industry are faced with including harassment by some corrupt
individuals working under the pretext of being state security personnel.” 

 of their sacrificial services to the nation, producers barely live dignified life because of the lack of livable profits that are dwarfed. “Many of these people are single and breastfeeding mothers, widows, unemployed youths, and many others,” the LUCU president said.

“Members of the charcoal industry continue to carry the worries of daily mockery by end-users. They have been constantly robbed of their dignity, respect and honor mainly due to their inability to comply with paying high interest rates to borrowers, and others.

“Yet, the indelible positive role being played by these ordinary citizens in the production of charcoal for public consumption and economic growth and development cannot be over emphasized,” he said. “I could go on and on in naming the daily challenges and difficult conditions members of this industry are faced with including harassment by some corrupt
individuals working under the pretext of being state security personnel.” 

Of their sacrificial services to the nation, producers barely live dignified life because of the lack of livable profits that are dwarfed. “Many of these people are single and breastfeeding mothers, widows, unemployed youths, and many others,” the LUCU president said.

“Members of the charcoal industry continue to carry the worries of daily mockery by end-users. They have been constantly robbed of their dignity, respect and honor mainly due to their inability to comply with paying high interest rates to borrowers, and others.

“Yet, the indelible positive role being played by these ordinary citizens in the production of charcoal for public consumption and economic growth and development cannot be over emphasized,” he said. “I could go on and on in naming the daily challenges and difficult conditions members of this industry are faced with including harassment by some corrupt individuals working under the pretext of being state security personnel.” 

Meanwhile, in an effort to equally address these challenges, a group of local charcoal producers and traders during the outbreak of the COVID 19 Pandemic in 2019 saw the need to come under one umbrella.

This umbrella group is today known as the Liberia United Charcoal Union, or LUCCU, a nonprofit and legally registered organization, operating under the laws of Liberia, Kilimi said. 

The union has a membership of 200,000 producers across nine of the fifteen counties.

“We have gathered here today to send a clear message that we are here to stay and to effectively contribute to the growth and development of the Liberian economy which, for decades, has been in the hands of foreigners,” he said. “As in the words of President George Manneh Weah, we, as Liberians, cannot remain to be ‘spectators in the Liberian economy’

Indeed, we have come to unveil LUCCU to the three branches of the Liberian Government and her international partners.”

Kilimi said LUCU does not only request a seat to the national decision- making table, but also “want our voices to be heard loud and clear as we seek to collaborate and cooperate with government and other stakeholders such as the Forestry Development Authority on many crucial issues.”  

He said there is a need for collaboration to ease the impacts of climate change, especially in the rural parts of the country. 

“We are in full agreement that now is the time for not only the central government but all Liberians and development partners to take practical actions to tackle climate change. This effort also needs a transformation, one led by communities and the frontline enterprises like ours that serve and understand the plights of locals who are involved with the production of charcoal,” he noted.

LUCU, he added, is also aware that the real progress in fighting climate change will only become fruitful with the backing of the government, committed investors and funders as well as policymakers, supportive charities and NGOs.

“Let it be clarified here that although our charcoal operation enjoys no perfection, we exercise due diligence in helping to protect the purity of the environment through the use of mostly leftover forest products.

This is also why we, too, see the need for all stakeholders to join hands in all efforts aimed at reducing the negative outcome of climate change in Liberia and because all of us, as a Government and Nation, are at risk of climate change effects.”

For the dollar rally that followed the launch, LUCU said it intended to raise about US$800, 000 dollars—a fund that it wants to use to diversify charcoal production by the use of modern methods.

“The modern way of charcoal production, we believe,would pave the way for the sale of charcoal in supermarkets, provision shops and other commercial areas across the country. In other words, we intend to change charcoal production in Liberia,” Kilimi said. “We also want to offer our members much needed technical, professional, and other lifelong skills via training opportunities at home and abroad.”

The group also intends to construct its national headquarters, which will include a Technical Vocational Education Training Center that will afford children of single mothers and indigent fathers the opportunity to acquire TVET education free of charge–a dream that is also in line with the government’s flagship national development agenda, the ‘Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development.

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