Tanzania’s Songea Prison hailed for making locally-made energy

SONGEA: THE Chairman of the Rural Energy Board (REB), Major General (retired) Jacob Kingu, has commended Songea Prison in Ruvuma Region for its innovative initiative to produce alternative cooking charcoal, a move aimed at reducing the use of firewood and unsafe charcoal that poses health risks to inmates.

Kingu gave the commendation today, May 9, 2025, during his visit to Ruvuma Region, where he inspected clean cooking energy systems installed in prisons with the support of the Rural Energy Agency (REA).

“By taking this initiative, you will reduce the costs previously spent on purchasing coal for cooking, and at the same time generate income by selling this alternative charcoal to other institutions and citizens using improved cookstoves. This will allow you to reinvest the funds in other development projects,” said Major General Kingu.

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On his part, the Officer in Charge of Songea Prison, Robert Mabeja, expressed his gratitude to REB and REA for the financial support provided, which enabled them to install clean cooking energy systems at the prison.

This project is viewed as part of a national effort to promote the use of clean energy, improve user health, and protect the environment.