Feature: three women covering energy stories in Africa

Today we want to highlight some of the best articles produced by women candidates in our campaign to provide six fully-funded journalism fellowships to the Sustainable Energy For All in Kigali, Rwanda, between the 26th-28th of May .

Three very different pieces, three very different journalists, but all three have what we are looking for in this competition: human-centered and forward-looking stories.

Energy Entrepreneurs Modify Agricultural
Waste into Clean Cooking Oil

By recalling the history of Ugandan Enterprise Eco Fuel Africa (EFA), Diana Taremwa Karakire reveals a compelling alternative to the current cooking fuel model. This alternative is based on agricultural waste products, such as coffee and rice husks, corn cobs, and sugar cane waste. The report then dives into more personal stories, letting us know an indirect consequence of EFA’s work, as they collaborate with a network of micro-retailer women that sell these briquettes to last-mile customers.

Media: ChimReports

Diana Taremwa Karakire is an environmental journalist based in Uganda. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from Makerere University. She writes on subjects such as climate change, renewable energy, environmental conservation and human rights. She can be found @TaremwaD

Sustainable Energy Answer to Global Warming

With a focus on Kenya, but also a regional framing, Caroline Kibii digs into the use and production of coal and explains how its usage might be hindering progress towards climate action.

Media: The Star

Caroline Kibii is an environmental scientist, a writer, and a nature lover thrilled by mountain hikes. Caroline champions for environmental conservation, clean energy, and action on climate change. She subscribes to a bottom-up approach to environmental protection.

Problématique d'accès au source
d'énergie au Burundi

Française – English below

Mireille partage avec nous un bref panorama de l’utilisation de l’énergie au Burundi, celle-ci principalement alimentée au charbon et nous présente un carburant alternatif similaire à celui de la première pièce que nous avons partagée, à base d’épis de maïs. Plus tard, il aborde brièvement les liens entre la déforestation et les combustibles sales, le potentiel solaire et hydroélectrique du pays et les demandes des élites d’assouplir la restriction à l’importation de gaz.

Access to energy sources in Burundi 

Mireille shares with us a brief panorama of energy use in Burundi, which is mainly powered by coal and presents to us an alternative fuel similar to the one in the first piece we shared, based on corn cobs. She then explains the links between deforestation and dirty fuels, the country’s solar and hydro-power potential, and the demands from the elites to relax the restriction on the importation of gas.

Media: Radio Isanganiro

Mère de 4 enfants, elle est détentrice d’un Diplôme de Licence en Gestion Socio-économique des Entreprises et Organisations a l’Université du Lac Tanganyika. Elle travaille à la Radio Isanganiro depuis Juillet 2013 en tant que Journaliste-Reporter.  Secrétaire de Rédaction pendant 2 ans, elle est aujourd’hui cheftaine de la section Française a la dite Radio. 

A mother of four, Mireille holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Socio-economic Management of Businesses and Organizations from the University of Lake Tanganyika. She has worked at Radio Isanganiro since July 2013 as a Journalist-Reporter. Mireille has been an editorial secretary for 2 years and she now leads the French section at the radio station.