Bush becomes ‘black gold’ as biomass sector expands
Staff Reporter TURNING one of the country’s biggest environmental challenges into an economic opportunity, Namibia’s biomass sector is gaining recognition for its potential to create jobs, improve energy security and develop new value chains in charcoal, renewable energy, animal feed and biochar. The Energy Sector Skills Strategy Report – Namibia, launched by the Namibia Investment ... The post Bush becomes ‘black gold’ as biomass sector expands appeared first on Informanté .
Staff Reporter
TURNING one of the country’s biggest environmental challenges into an economic opportunity, Namibia’s biomass sector is gaining recognition for its potential to create jobs, improve energy security and develop new value chains in charcoal, renewable energy, animal feed and biochar.
The Energy Sector Skills Strategy Report – Namibia, launched by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), identifies biomass as an emerging sector with significant potential to support rural development and climate resilience.
According to the report, bush encroachment currently affects an estimated 45 million hectares of Namibia’s savanna rangelands, covering more than 60% of the country’s grazing areas. While historically viewed as an environmental challenge that reduces land productivity and threatens biodiversity, the report notes that harvested biomass is increasingly being transformed into valuable economic products.
