Biogas Takes Root in Goma: A Local Answer to Energy Poverty
In the bustling streets of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, many households still rely on charcoal—locally known as makala—for cooking and heating. Rising insecurity and the recent takeover of the city by the M23 armed group have driven charcoal prices up, pushing families to seek cheaper, cleaner alternatives. A grassroots initiative led by the local enterprise Umoja is turning organic waste into biogas, offering residents a renewable, affordable source of energy while also producing eco‑friendly fertilizer.
The Energy Crisis in Goma
Before the M23 offensive in January 2023, a typical family could purchase one bag of charcoal for roughly $30 per month, enough to meet cooking needs for about four weeks. After the group seized control and banned logging in nearby Virunga National Park—citing concerns that timber financed pro‑Kinshasa militias—the supply of charcoal dwindled, and prices surged. According to local traders, a sack of charcoal now costs upward of $45, placing a heavy burden on the city’s nearly one million residents, most of whom live below the poverty line.
“Electricity is expensive, but with biogas it’s very economical,” says Julienne Mukelenge, a mother of two who switched to biogas after struggling with toxic fumes and frequent power cuts. Her neighbor, Romaine Kanyere, echoes the sentiment: “With the rise in the price of a sack of charcoal, gas is less expensive here.”
How Biogas Works in Goma
Biogas is generated through anaerobic digestion, a process in which microorganisms break down organic matter—such as animal manure or kitchen waste—in the absence of oxygen, producing methane-rich gas. Umoja, a Goma‑based company founded in 2016, collects droppings from chicken coops owned by the firm and local partners. Yves Rubarura, an Umoja technician wearing overalls and safety goggles, explains that his team gathers roughly “30 cartloads” of waste each week to feed the digesters.
The waste is placed in cement pits where it ferments for several days. The resulting methane is captured, compressed, and bottled into six‑kilogram cylinders that retail for about $8. A single cylinder can supply a household of three to five people for nearly two weeks, compared with the $30 monthly cost of charcoal for comparable usage.
Economic and Environmental Benefits
- Cost savings: Biogas reduces household fuel expenses by up to 70 % compared with charcoal.
- Health improvements: Cooking with biogas eliminates the smoke and particulate matter associated with charcoal burning, lowering indoor air pollution—a major cause of respiratory illness in low‑income settings.
- Forest protection: By substituting charcoal, the initiative eases pressure on Virunga National Park’s forests, helping to preserve biodiversity and curb deforestation.
- Natural fertilizer: The digested slurry left after gas extraction is a nutrient‑rich organic fertilizer. Serge Bashonga, a Goma environmentalist, notes that using this by‑product can reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers, which often degrade soil health and contaminate water sources.
Umoja reports that it currently distributes about 720 kilograms of biogas each month through its network of roughly 50 small‑scale digesters scattered across the city and surrounding villages. While production remains modest, the model demonstrates how localized renewable energy can be both economically viable and environmentally sound.
Challenges and Pathways to Scale
Despite its promise, several obstacles limit wider adoption:
- Space constraints: Many urban dwellings lack the yard or rooftop area needed to install a personal digester.
- Storage limitations: Pressurizing biogas for safe, long‑term storage requires equipment that is scarce and costly in the region.
- Initial investment: Although operating costs are low, the upfront expense of building a digester and purchasing a gas cylinder can be prohibitive for low‑income families without micro‑finance support.
Victor Materanya, director of Umoja, hopes to overcome these barriers by expanding the technology into rural areas where farmers have more space and can directly benefit from the fertilizer by‑product. He envisions a circular system: livestock waste feeds the digester, biogas powers homes, and the residual slurry enriches fields, thereby boosting agricultural yields while cutting energy costs.
Conclusion
In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict and economic hardship have long undermined access to reliable energy, community‑driven biogas projects offer a tangible solution. By converting waste into clean fuel and fertile soil, initiatives like Umoja’s not only alleviate household energy burdens but also contribute to forest conservation, public health, and sustainable agriculture. Continued support—through micro‑finance, technical training, and policy encouragement—will be essential to scale this model and bring the benefits of biogas to more families across the region.
References
- World Bank. “Energy Access in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” 2022. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/energy/brief/energy-access-drc
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “Biogas as a Renewable Energy Source in Sub‑Saharan Africa.” 2021.
- Virunga National Park Authority. “Statement on Logging Ban and Charcoal Prices.” January 2023.
- Interviews conducted with Julienne Mukelenge, Romaine Kanyere, Yves Rubarura, Victor Materanya, and Serge Bashonga, Goma, February 2024.
- Umoja Company Internal Reports, 2023‑2024.
