Publications

Energy in Africa capability statement

This report presents a desk study conducted in 2008 of the biogas potential in Benin. The energy situation in Benin is in serious need of action: the dependency on sources that are external and subject to seasonal and climate-related variations needs to be reduced urgently: commercial energy is almost entirely imported and is for the most part generated by hydroelectric systems.

Biogas is one of the options and it is identified as such in policy documents, although it seems to be seen as a solution for institutional and commercial users (service sector) in the first place and rather for generating electricity than for cooking.

The technology of biogas production has been introduced in Benin at least as early as the 80s. The various attempts have not been successful with the sole exception of the units installed by the Centre Songhaï on their integrated farm in Porto Novo.

The present desk study concludes that it is necessary to carry out additional field research in order to get reliable information about the number of households that have access to the required inputs on a daily and year-round basis. This research is to be carried out in selected communes of the Borgou, Alibori, Atacora and Donga departments where the largest numbers of cattle are found but where traditional transhumance practice is or was also most prevalent. Some communes of the Oueme and Plateau departments will also be included, because semi-zero grazing is practised in those areas although on a small scale only.

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.