The foundation Biogas for Better Life is an African initiative that aims to improve the health and living conditions of men, women and children; to reduce the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking; to improve soil fertility and agricultural production; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and to create new jobs, through the development of a robust biogas-related business sector in Africa.

 On May 20-23, representatives from 27 countries in Africa, and 37 in all, met in Nairobi, Kenya to formally launch the Biogas for Better Life Initiative. This meeting follows an exploratory workshop organized in Amsterdam in October 2006. During this 3-day event participants discussed how to carry forward the objectives of the broader Initiative. A number of country national biogas program pre-feasibility and feasibility studies are already completed or underway, and programs are already being launched in Rwanda and Ethiopia. The group discussed important aspects of developing and implementing national biogas programs including sanitation, gender integration, technology, costs, program structure and management, financing and subsidy structure, carbon financing, and marketing and communications.