Hope for biogas power generation is rising among farmers and innovators as it potentially solves the twin challenges of disposal of livestock waste and provision of energy to offset the rising cost of electricity in Nigeria.

Biogas is a type of biofuel produced from the decomposition of organic waste. Animal manure, food scraps, wastewater and sewage are examples of organic matter that can produce biogas. Thanks to the Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure, Ondo State and the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) a few farmers have been able to generate renewable electricity from cow dung. While FECA used farms to demonstrate how to use cow dung to generate power with a modest biogas plant, WAAPP funded the projects. Ibulesoro community now uses animal wastes for electricity generation and cooking gas, courtesy of FECA and WAAPP.

Another success story is in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. There, an agricultural firm, Ajima Farms, has powered Rije Village in Kuje Area Council, with 20 kilowatts of biogas from generators. The project, called Ajima Farms Biogas Digester Off-Grid, was inaugurated by the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), led by its Regional Director, Tom Coogan, along with project coordinator, Ajima Farms, Fatima Ademoh, and Reji Village Head, Ibrahim Kuyagwa.

Source: The Nation