Mankaa
Niba

Mankaa Ruby Konima Niba is a final year Mechanical Engineering student at Fourah Bay College. She worked as an intern at the National Petroleum SL Limited and at the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) on the rehabilitation of the Parliament Building of Sierra Leone. Mankaa is a curious and goal-oriented leader with a passion for creating change in her community.

PROJECT

My project aims to generate an alternative source of energy for cooking locally. The renewable form of energy would be biogas which could be obtained from our organic domestic waste by simply allowing it to undergo an anaerobic digestion with the aid of a biogas digester. My main goal is to encourage people to move towards the consumption of green, cheap and efficient form of energy whilst creating awareness of a proper disposal of our waste. Most importantly, biogas will aid the prevention of global warming by discouraging people from contributing to pollution and/or deforestation through the demand for charcoal, firewood etc.

The idea for the project was developed last year when we were asked during a class to submit a presentation on issues affecting our environment and, subsequently, brainstorm some solutions. My thoughts at that time revolved around climate change. Sierra Leone contributes, relatively, far less to climate change that other developed countries in the world. Actions such as deforestation and pollution, which are typically caused by domestic requirements such as cooking, however, remain serious contributors to global warming. In Sierra Leone, firewood and charcoal are two of our highest demands and during my work on that project I committed to thinking about how we could obtain clean and efficient produce for cooking. My research has led me to the answer of: “the production of biogas from a biogas digester”.

MOTIVATION FOR AND COMMITMENT TO CREATING A BETTER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANET

I am dedicated to creating something that will make an impact in the world and contribute to its betterment and sustainability.