The project addresses two challenges in Uganda by turning an environmental problem into an asset for clean energy access: the rapid spread of invasive water hyacinth in water bodies, and limited access to affordable clean cooking energy. Water hyacinth blocks waterways, degrades water quality and disrupts fishing and transport, while many households continue to rely on firewood and charcoal, contributing to deforestation, indoor air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. To solve these, the project proposes to collect water hyacinth and convert it into renewable energy products, such as biomass briquettes for clean cooking and biogas through anaerobic digestion. The project supports environmental restoration and improved energy access by transforming an abundant invasive plant into a valuable energy resource. It also includes community training on biomass processing and biogas technologies, creating opportunities for local employment, income generation and skills development.

Th eproject has been in operation for less than 12 month with 2-5 team members. Major costs include biomass collection and transport, drying and briquetting equipment, anaerobic digestion systems, processing materials, storage, packaging and community training. The project is currently financed through personal investment, support from the enterprise JIRAW, community contributions and grant applications, with revenue from briquette and biogas sales is reinvested to support operations and future expansion. Key challenges include the labour-intensive collection and transport of water hyacinth, the high cost of processing equipment, maintaining consistent fuel quality and encouraging households to adopt new cooking fuels. Seasonal variations in the availability ofwater hyacinth also affect production. In the long-term the project aims to establish community collection hubs and decentralised processing units across multiple water bodies. For that purpose it seeks support through partnerships with government agencies, NGOs and private investors.