Open fires are used for cooking in most Ethiopian households and institutions. At present, most Ethiopian households and institutions use open fuel wood fires for cooking. The total wood consumption, estimated to be 50 million tonnes annually, makes up to 80pc of the total energy consumed in the country.

As a result, the forest cover in Ethiopia has declined from 40pc to 2.4pc over the past six decades. However, small companies businesses under Addis Abeba Micro and Small Enterprise Agency, as seen in the picture, produce Charcoal braziers that use wood to earn additional income.