Kawandama Hills Plantation
Kawandama Project Summary
Kawandama Hills Plantation (KHP) is an 8,000 ha essential oil plantation in Viphya Forest Reserve, Northern Malawi, which produces 3,400 MT of sustainable charcoal per annum as a by-product of essential oils distillation. KHP was the first company to receive a sustainable charcoal license from the Malawi Government in October 2015. The company harvests in excess of 4,200 metric tonnes of biomass per hectare (10,200 MT of spent biomass per annum), which is available for charcoal production although not all of this is used due to capacity limitations.
With a GETF grant, KPL aims to improve distribution efficiency of sustainable charcoal by constructing a sustainable charcoal distribution warehouse with a capacity to store 100 tons of charcoal, and procure and establish 14 container sales outlets to supply 42 tons of sustainable charcoal per month to low-income consumers.
Impact
Upon successful implementation of the project, key impacts will include 300 low-income households accessing green solutions, 30 jobs being created (60% women or youth), 100 low-income households with an increase in aggregate income by 20%, and 400 tons of sustainable charcoal sold at the end of the project.
The key project components include the following:
Land acquisition and construction of a distribution warehouse in Lilongwe
Procurement of shipping containers and setting up of charcoal sales outlets in various locations in Lilongwe city
Procurement of a stock management software to improve efficiency in the distribution of legal charcoal
Procurement of a box truck for charcoal distribution in Lilongwe City
Undertaking a behaviour change marketing campaign to persuade households to switch to legal charcoal
Status on Project Implementation
The company is working towards finalising its Milestone 1, which focuses on warehouse architectural design, obtaining regulatory approvals from relevant Malawi Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, and raising at least a 30% financial contribution.
