State minister for water and environment, Beatrice Atim Anywar, has banned the issuance of all types of documents that facilitate the commercial production and trade of charcoal in the Acholi sub-region. 

Anywar in a statement dated January 24, 2023, noted that the ban which covers other forest produce comes after a similar measure was implemented in Gulu district. 

“In a recent ban in Gulu district, local leaders in Acholi have requested the ban to be extended to the entire Acholi sub-region,” said Anywar.  

She added that Uganda in the last two decades lost an unprecedented amount of forest cover—plummeting from 25% of the land area in 1990 to 13.6% in 2019. 

Anywar said 70% of Ugandans depend on wood for cooking and that this must stop within a short time to save future lives.  

The minister in her letter dated January 11 instituting the ban in Gulu, noted that the district has been the epicentre of environmental degradation in the sub-region owing to its central location along major transit routes. 

A plain piece of land left after the trees have been cut down in Gulu District

Anywar also recalled all forest produce permit books issued to the district from the Ministry of Water and Environment with immediate effect. 

Leaders react  

A number of leaders from the Acholi region reacted mostly positively to minister Anywar’s directive. 

Justine Ocen, the Pader district vice chairperson, said that the directive comes at a time when the environment has already been destroyed, by people he said do not care. 

Christopher Opiyo Ateker the Gulu district chairman, welcomed the directive but urged the Anywar to come up with proper guidelines on how the policy will be implemented. 

“There are people who have their private forests and they would want to cut down trees for charcoal or firewood. How would they be helped?” asked Opiyo. 

Some of the trees cut down for charcoal in Acholi region

“I’m very happy about the directive. Extending the ban to all the districts in the region will enable joint monitoring of the directive and ease of the fight against mass forest degradation,” said Justine Kidega, the LCIII chairperson of Unyama sub-county. 

Kidega also called on the government to consider reducing the cost of electricity as a means of persuading the locals from relying on firewood. 

Patrick Komakech, the Patiko sub-county chairperson said the minister’s orders should also address how the implementation will be handled and define the penalties for offenders.