Lusaka, Zambia - Governments, researchers, development partners and community representatives from across Southern Africa gathered in Lusaka to explore solutions for transforming the woodfuel sector into a more sustainable and resilient source of energy and livelihoods. The four-day Sustainable Woodfuel Forum 2026, hosted by the Government of Zambia in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and Self Help Africa has provided a regional platform for dialogue on how sustainable woodfuel systems can contribute to energy security, ecosystem resilience and rural development.

Every morning across Sub-Saharan Africa, hundreds of millions of people light a fire to cook breakfast. The fuel is almost always wood, harvested from forests that stretch across vast dryland ecosystems, processed into charcoal by rural producers working with rudimentary kilns, and carried to urban markets along supply chains that are largely invisible to policymakers.

The Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) is representing Tanzania at the International Sustainable Woodfuel Forum taking place in Lusaka, Zambia, where countries are exchanging experience on sustainable energy, forest management, and the future of wood-based energy use. The forum has brought together experts and stakeholders from across Africa and beyond under the Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme (DSL-IP), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Government of Zambia.

Lusaka, Zambia – Policymakers, technical experts and regional stakeholders gathered last week to confront one of Southern Africa’s most persistent development challenges: how to meet growing energy demand without accelerating the destruction of forests.

The session, facilitated by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) at the Sustainable Wood Fuel Forum 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia, focused on helping translate emerging evidence into practical policy and investment pathways – addressing sustainable energy transition and reducing pressure on forests across Southern Africa. 

Much of Africa is highly dependent on charcoal as a cooking fuel, yet most countries do not have policies in place that would help make the sector more sustainable, according to a new FAO report. The report, entitled Are policies in Africa conducive to sustainability interventions in the charcoal sector?, assesses forestry, environmental and energy policies relevant to the charcoal sector in 31 African countries.