Only One in 10 Nigerian Households Use Clean Energy for Cooking — Minister

Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, has disclosed that merely one in ten Nigerian households utilize clean energy sources and technologies for cooking. He highlighted that the implementation of the National Clean Cooking Policy of Nigeria is anticipated to generate approximately 10 million direct jobs for young people. In a press release issued in Abuja on Saturday, signed by Ibrahim Haruna, Head of the Press and Public Relations Unit, Lawal emphasized the severe energy crisis in Nigeria. “Nigeria is facing a silent energy crisis. Only one in ten households in the country use clean energy sources and technologies for cooking,” he stated. Lawal pointed out the adverse impacts of traditional cooking methods that use firewood, kerosene, and charcoal, including health risks, deforestation, and contributions to climate change. He stressed, “Clean cooking solutions will save lives, empower women and youths, improve livelihoods, and combat climate change.” The National Clean Cooking Policy of Nigeria, approved by the Federal Executive Council on 25 March 2024, aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, enhance health, create jobs, and protect the environment. The policy is designed to help Nigeria achieve its Nationally Determined Contribution target, net zero by 2060, and a carbon-neutral clean cooking future.

The policy outlines that 20 percent of the clean cooking target will come from electric cooking, 54 percent from Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), 13 percent from fuel-efficient biomass cookstoves, three percent from biogas, and five percent from agricultural waste briquettes. Lawal noted that the policy aligns with Nigeria’s updated NDC (2021), National Climate Change Policy (2021-2030), Climate Change Act (2021), and National Gas Policy (2017). It was introduced at the 17th session of the National Council on Environment on 24 April 2024 and officially launched during the National Clean Cooking Fair on 18 July 2024 in Abuja.

The Ministry of Environment is collaborating with local clean cookstove manufacturers and training youth in production skills to scale up clean cookstove and briquette production. “The implementation of this policy will create about 10 million direct jobs for young people, ranging from raw material assembly to production and distribution,” Lawal added. The ministry is also seeking support from development partners, such as the World Bank, to meet the policy’s targets in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President.