The severe drought affecting much of Zambia has left a devastating impact, with over one million households across 84 out of 116 districts affected. Zambians facing food and water shortages, livestock suffering from a lack of water and pasture, and the country grappling with prolonged electricity blackouts due to reduced hydroelectric power generation.
Amidst the El Niño-induced drought that has depleted hydropower reservoirs, the charcoal business is thriving. Traders are capitalising on the desperation of people who are increasingly turning to charcoal as a last resort to light their homes and cook their meals.
“So, now I need to have three trucks coming into Lusaka from Mumbwa each week. I have a licence, so my business is legal,” remarked Trevor Njowe (pseudonym), a charcoal trader, confidently.
Njowe explained that he was granted permission by Chief Kaindu to cut trees within his chiefdom.
“Of course, that came with a price. Additionally, I pay the locals to cut the trees and process the charcoal. That’s how I get my supply,’ he added.
When asked if he ever faced police checkpoints along the Lusaka-Mumbwa road, Njowe acknowledged that he had, but insisted his business is legitimate.”
“I can admit that charcoal trading is expensive. Sometimes it is hard for us to pay for the cordwood permit and the conveyor permit. Because of that, we get stopped by the police, and that means we need to give them a ka amount just to let us pass. It works all the time,” he says.
Producers, unlike traders such as Njowe who simply purchase charcoal and sell it to customers, are the ones doing ‘the real work’—creating the charcoal that is sold.
When asked about their earnings from working with charcoal traders, former producers expressed frustration, stating that the rewards rarely came close to matching their effort.
The demanding process of charcoal production often left them ill and financially strained, leading many to feel they were being exploited. Samuel Matabula, a former charcoal producer, shared his personal experience in the industry.
“We were cutting 150 trees in order to have a 40 metre earth kiln (a mound of soil sealing tree logs gradually burning to produce charcoal). It would take six months to produce the charcoal from such a kiln, and we could get about 70 bags of charcoal which we were selling at maximum K90 to the traders. They would resell these bags in Lusaka at K400, sometimes even K450. That means, for us, we would earn K10,000 in six months. But for them, in the same period, they would earn at least K30,000,” Matabula recalls.
“So, we had to have a number of small kilns as well which would produce charcoal in a short period of time like two weeks. This is what would make us survive in the six months waiting for the big kiln to produce the charcoal.”
Oliver Sondashi, another former charcoal producer, describes how charcoal production was both a health risk and a waste of time. Although it initially seemed profitable, the detrimental effects on his health became overwhelming.
“When we worked on the kilns, we suffered from severe coughs lasting over three weeks, along with chest pains and body aches that took at least a month to recover from,” Sondashi recalled. “The health risks became too dangerous, especially with children to care for, and it wasn’t worth it anymore.”
Sondashi added: “That’s why when the A2C project by USAID arrived in Mumbwa and introduced alternative ways to earn a living without harming the environment, many of us decided to stop charcoal production.”
Since 2022, USAID’s Alternatives2Charcoal project in Zambia has focused on transitioning charcoal producers to alternative livelihoods to combat climate change and promote sustainable income sources. A key aspect of this initiative includes training law enforcement officers to enforce charcoal regulations and prevent illegal trade.
Over 750 government officials, including those from the forestry department and Zambia police services, have been trained on the Forest Act No. 4 of 2015, the National Forest Policy (2014), and related regulations. The training covers patrol techniques, communication skills, and conservation awareness, aimed at enhancing enforcement and sustainable forest management.
“A key success has been improved collaboration between the Zambia police and the forestry department in conducting roadblocks and patrols to identify and seize illegal charcoal; this in turn has resulted in an increase in the number of vehicles impounded, charcoal bags seized as well as convictions,” says Catherine Picard, Chief of Staff at USAID’s Alternatives2Charcoal project.
Despite these efforts, illegal charcoal trade along the Lusaka-Mumbwa road persists. Officers at the check points are reportedly demanding bribes ranging from K500 to K2,000 from traders in exchange for allowing their unauthorised transport to Zambia’s capital. A recent recording captured a conversation between an illegal trader and an officer at the checkpoint negotiating a bribe for the illegal passage of charcoal.
“Koma uziba ufunika kunkala na permit, […] so vuto ili pati? Parking’a pa road tikambe bwino (But you know that you need to have a permit, so where is the problem here? Park on the side of the road so we can speak properly),” said one officer at a checkpoint.
“… Ni K500, unless ufuna tiku chite impound? Ndiye pe uza ziba kuti ufunika kunkala na permit (It will cost you K500, unless you want your truck to be impounded? Perhaps that’s when you’ll realise the importance of a permit).”
When asked about the illegal transportation of charcoal, potentially with law enforcement involvement, Picard confirmed that 98% of the charcoal entering cities like Lusaka is unregulated and untaxed.
“Unfortunately, very little charcoal which enters Zambia’s major urban areas, such as Lusaka, is legal. More specifically, estimates are that less than 2% of charcoal is legally permitted, meaning 98% of charcoal is unregulated and untaxed. Compliance with permits/licenses could raise K2 billion per year,” said Picard.
“In addition to supporting improved enforcement, USAID A2C is also supporting the forestry department to educate community members about the permits required to fell trees and transport charcoal. Finally, USAID A2C is supporting communities to establish community forest management areas, which are areas of forest set aside to support sustainable livelihoods such as honey, wild fruits and mushrooms for market.”
In April 2024, the Zambian government halted the issuance of cordwood permits for charcoal production to address severe deforestation.
Former minister of green economy and environment, Hon. Collins Nzovu, granted traders with valid permits until May 1, 2024, to complete their charcoal production while the ministry assessed tree stock levels nationwide. Nzovu noted that the extensive deforestation was a major factor contributing to the severe drought in Zambia.
As dusk falls in Lusaka, residents flood out of Garden house market on Mumbwa Road, carrying heavy bags of charcoal, unaware of the ongoing issues surrounding the charcoal trade and production. Charcoal traders at the market smile and wave to their customers, awaiting the arrival of their next illegal consignments in the early hours, perpetuating the cycle.
Zanji is a fellow under the Wildlife Crime Prevention (WCP) fellowship for journalists. The MakanDay Centre for Investigative Journalism, in partnership with WCP, provided training in investigative journalism skills and supported journalists in working on impactful stories that promote environmental protection and drive change.
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