Publications

Energy in Africa capability statement

Physical feasibility of domestic biogas in the upper East region of Ghana (2008).

This study examines the physical feasibility of setting-up a National Domestic Biogas Programme (NDBP) in the upper east region of Ghana, and settles various concerns with regards to the precise physical feasibility of the region.

Study findings indicated 42% of the houses have 10-19 people living in them and 63% of the houses keep cattle. In all communalities, cattle are invariably kraaled overnight, which made cattle dung available near the house. Cattle population and management trends indicated keeping fewer cattle, but in the same time by many more households. The trend in farm intensification showed that farming was gradually becoming
intensive as the population increased respectively. Further, chemical fertiliser was still used in minimum quantities. The domestic energy situation showed that most of the communalities were not connected to the electricity grid and their household energy came from crop residue, firewood, charcoal and dung respectively.

The study concluded that the physical potential in the upper east region of Ghana, based on cattle population, dung and water availability, amounts to 28,000 biogas installations, a very significant number for a single region. Further positive trends making biogas an attractive investment included cattle
management, farm dynamics and firewood scarcity (all trends are thoroughly discussed in the report). Future steps requiring action comprise economic and financial analyses, as well as a pilot programme outline for biogas plant construction. All recommendations and their rationale are thoroughly presented in the report.

SNV West and Central Africa is presenting through the 2011 case study anthology, a selection of its regional interventions. The different cases present the various contexts in which we operate, our approaches and their sustainability, who we work with and our results.

This document sought to analyse our work in the view of getting out the lessons learned from our experiences with regards to what has work and what has not. Besides, the anthology is a tool for knowledge sharing and learning for other organisations or individuals who may wish to scale up the work initiated.