How a school dropout invented a game-changing waste-oil stove in Senegal

By Firmain Eric Mbadinga

High school dropout Alassane Thiam, a welder by training and inventor by spirit, could have whiled away his time wondering what might have been had financial adversity not forced him to discontinue his studies.

Instead, this young native of Mbar, a commune in the Fatick region of west-central Senegal, chose to channel his ingenuity and resourcefulness into an invention that has transformed how people in the hinterland use fuel for cooking.

Alassane's waste-oil stove, a contraption as utilitarian as it is unique, is based on the premise of using a readily available resource — discarded vehicle lubricants — to create an affordable and efficient cooking solution for rural communities.

His innovation is already seen as a game-changer in communes where traditional kitchen fuels, such as firewood and butane gas, are either scarce or expensive.

In Mbar, Alassane's stove has benefited around 26,000 residents who make a living rearing livestock and farming on progressively arid land.

"I feel a sense of pride thinking that what I designed enables people to make considerable savings on cooking fuel. That's the biggest reward," he tells TRT Afrika.

Simple mechanism

The stove has a nozzle and an inbuilt reservoir that holds waste oil, typically a by-product of vehicle lubrication collected from garages at little or no cost.

The stove features a trigger mechanism with propellers. The system propels air in, keeping the flame steady. There are two taps – one circulates the oil when activated, and the other facilitates air passage.

To operate the stove, users need to light it and then activate the trigger, ensuring continuous and consistent air and oil flow.

In terms of performance, the set-up is comparable to traditional stoves, albeit at a significantly reduced cost than cooking gas, firewood or electricity.

Cost-effective system

Alassane conceptualised the waste-oil stove and created a prototype in his welder father's workshop, inspired by the idea of building something that would benefit his community and could be scaled.

"This idea was born out of my desire to make life a little easier for our mothers, who often struggle to find fuel for cooking. In my community, it's hard for them to find firewood. As for butane gas, it's expensive for most households," he tells TRT Afrika.

Alassane obtains used vehicle lubricants free from garages. If and when a garage owner demands to be paid for it, the price is around 40 CFA franc (US $0.065) a litre.

"With 200 CFA franc worth of used lubricants, a waste-oil stove user can prepare at least three meals daily for a month," he says.

Supportive family

Alassane's father, Sheikh Thiam, always knew that his son had a creative mind that needed nurturing.

While he couldn't afford schooling, Sheikh enrolled Alassane in a metal-welding training institute.

The young man travelled to Touba, many miles away from his commune, to hone his skills and returned a changed person.

Armed with welding know-how, he set about building the stove that would make him famous in Mbar and beyond.

"Everyone is intrigued by how simple and functional my system is. You ignite the fuel, activate the trigger, and that's it," says Alassane.

His marketing plan involves implementing the world's oldest form of advertising: word-of-mouth.

Alassane's "oil machine" is already in demand, prompting him to increase production capacity and diversify manufacturing.

He now employs staff to help him manufacture more machines and install the same system in agricultural machinery, tractors and tricycles.

"We charge prices that allow us to cover our costs and, at the same time, help households that don't have much purchasing power. We sell a single stove for 75,000 CFA franc ($120) and a two-burner stove for double the price," says Alassane.

His lack of academic degrees no longer bothers him. As he ventures into new territory by crafting metal doors and other welded products, Alassane aspires to provide employment to more people and benefit his community.

"I am hoping for support from either the government or private partners to market my products on a larger scale, especially my waste-oil stove," he tells TRT Afrika.

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