The OPEC fund for
international development
  • Who We Are
    • At a Glance
    • Facts & Figures
    • Member Countries
    • The Organization
    • Partners
    • FAQs
  • What we offer
    • Overview
    • Public Sector Lending
    • Private Sector & Trade Finance
    • Grants
    • Special Initiatives
  • Focus Areas
    • Overview
    • Agriculture
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Financial
    • Health
    • Multisectoral
    • Transportation
    • Water & Sanitation
  • Operations
    • Procurement Notices
    • Search Operations
    • World Map
    • Countries A-Z
  • Investor Relations
    • Overview
    • Credit Fundamentals
    • Funding
    • Operations
    • Governance
    • Contact IR Team
  • Events
    • Development Forum 2025
    • SIDS Summit
    • Past Events
  • News (current)
  • Contact Us
  • Media Center
  • Publications
The OPEC Fund
for International
Development
  1. News
  2. “Today, we are the only producer of green charcoal briquettes in Mali”
March 22, 2017

Keywords

  • Clean Energy, Mali, Cities, Green Charcoal Briquetts

“Today, we are the only producer of green charcoal briquettes in Mali”

Ousmane Samassekou

Photo courtesy of AFOvert

Ousmane Samassekou made several attempts before his company AFOvert found an economically viable way to produce its ‘green’ charcoal briquettes. Made of charcoal dust and used mainly for cooking, the briquettes offer an environmentally friendly substitute for coal and charcoal.

Ousmane developed the technology with support from GERES, an organization dedicated to promoting the use of clean energy, and recipient of an OFID grant. His family business, AFOvert, was established specifically to produce char briquettes for use by Mali’s city dwellers. “The technical assistance provided by GERES helped me design a new organization based on adapted technology,” Ousmane explains.

“Today, we are the only producer of green char briquettes in Mali and in competition with traditional charcoal coming from unofficial and uncontrolled production. The government is currently developing a regulatory framework to prevent this production and is taking several measures to limit deforestation. Yet, the application of these measures is uncertain, so we are trying to be as proactive as possible by proposing new products that limit pressure on natural resources.

“We are also building a sustainable procurement network, planning to buy the charcoal dust from charcoal sellers in Bamako, the capital, where the charcoal dust business is mainly managed by women.“AFOvert has an installed capacity of 4 tons/day and employs five people, three of whom are women. To expand AFOvert activities, I am working on the launch of a marketing campaign with the support of GERES. If sales rise as expected, we should be able to increase our installed capacity to 8 tons/day and employ up to seven people by the end of the year. The campaign is ready and should begin soon, so many more households can discover this new product and all its benefits for their health and the environment.”

AFOvert green charcoal briquettes
AFOvert Team
Photo courtesy of AFOvert
Share this
Scroll top
March 22, 2017

Keywords

  • Clean Energy, Mali, Cities, Green Charcoal Briquetts

Related Stories

Fatima Ahmed from Sudan

“My greatest fear is to be unable to continue to help people”

Stories

Bonita from Nepal

"I want to break the vicious cycle of poverty and malnutrition through the economic empowerment of women"

Stories

Yousef from Rafah

“I wish I could fly a kite”

Stories
Scroll top
Who We Are
  • At a Glance
  • Facts & Figures
  • Member Countries
  • The Organization
  • Partners
  • FAQs
What we offer
  • Overview
  • Public Sector Lending
  • Private Sector & Trade Finance
  • Grants
  • Special Initiatives
Operations
  • Procurement Notices
  • Search Operations
  • World Map
  • Countries A-Z
Investor Relations
  • Overview
  • Credit Fundamentals
  • Funding
  • Operations
  • Governance
  • Contact IR Team
Events
  • Development Forum 2025
  • SIDS Summit
  • Past Events
Procurement
  • Overview
  • Bidding
  • Supplier registration
  • Contact Procurement
Compliance Accountability & Integrity
  • Business Partner Code of Conduct
  • Personal Data Protection
  • Business Integrity Due Diligence
Administrative Tribunal
  • About the Tribunal
  • Judges
  • Executive Secretary
  • Contact the Tribunal
News
Career Opportunities
  • Vacancies
  • Young Professional Development Program
  • Internships
The OPEC Fund
for International
Development
Parkring 8
1010 Vienna
Austria
  • Copyright 2024 by the OPEC Fund
  • Fraud Alert
  • Personal Data Protection Disclaimer
  • Terms of use
  • Contact
  • Webmail

We use Cookies. Read our Terms