How a Ugandan woman is turning waste into clean energy
Ugandan climate activist Lucy Everlyn Atim founded Moyao Africa Initiative in 2023, turning shea husks into fuel briquettes to replace charcoal, protect shea trees, and empower women.
When Lucy Everlyn Atim returned home after six years working as a child rights activist in South Sudan's refugee settlements, her favorite shea tree was gone. Known locally as moyao, the tree had shaped her childhood – every morning she and her friends gathered beneath its branches to eat its fruit before walking to school.
Its disappearance was not an isolated loss. Across northern Uganda, many shea trees had been cut down for charcoal. "The destruction of shea trees is alarming," Atim, now a climate activist in her mid-thirties, told Al Jazeera. "These trees need to be protected, but people also need an alternative source of fuel."
Uganda loses an estimated 122,000 hectares of forest each year, largely to charcoal production and logging. With about 90 percent of households relying on charcoal for cooking, indigenous species such as shea are disappearing. Research by Makerere University found that mature shea tree populations on fallow land fell from about 20 trees in 2008 to between 10 and 15 by 2017.
While working in South Sudan, Atim met a woman making fuel briquettes from discarded shea husks. In 2023, she founded Moyao Africa Initiative, a social enterprise that turns shea waste into briquettes while helping women earn a living from processing shea butter. The initiative employs six staff and works with more than 1,200 women organized in savings groups.
On a hot afternoon in Alebtong, 15 women sat on woven mats attending a training session led by the initiative. They are chairpersons of savings groups from across the district, learning to turn discarded shea husks into cooking fuel. When the trainer asked about the process, the women answered almost in unison: collect the husks, crush them, mix with clay and cassava flour, mold, dry, and store.
Among them is Catherine Akello, chairperson of the Oteno Moyao Africa Women’s Group. Before joining, she valued only the shea kernels for butter; the husks were thrown away. Now they are a source of fuel. "I don’t have to worry about buying charcoal whenever I want to cook because I make my own briquettes from shea husks," said Akello, a 47-year-old mother of five. "As a group, we’re also able to save money from the products we sell, and that helps us support our families when emergencies arise."
Demand is growing, but production is limited by the seasonal shea harvest. Atim is saving to buy a carboniser, crusher and briquette-making machine costing about $530. The equipment would allow the initiative to process more shea waste and produce briquettes year-round. "Our plan is to increase shea butter production from 600 litres to 6,000 litres. That means more shea husks and, in turn, more briquettes," Atim said.
Renewable energy expert Bosco Odyek told Al Jazeera that turning shea husks into briquettes offers a practical alternative to charcoal. Using a carboniser produces cleaner-burning, smokeless briquettes that burn more efficiently.
Beyond fuel production, Moyao Africa Initiative runs environmental clubs in 20 schools across Alebtong District and works with the National Agricultural Research Organisation to distribute tree seedlings, encouraging communities to restore the landscape.
Humanitarian and development expert Paul Mwirichia said such initiatives are important but access to clean energy remains beyond many rural households. "We have very good policies. The challenge is implementation. Government needs to support indigenous organisations like Atim’s because they understand the problems affecting their communities, and people trust them," he said.
For Atim, the work is about saving the tree that shaped her childhood. The shea tree is gone, but she hopes turning discarded husks into fuel will mean fewer trees are cut down and more women can earn a living from keeping them standing. "We are leaving no one behind," she said.
