By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
Stakeholders, including government officials, development partners, civil society representatives, and private sector leaders have called for removal of blockades to clean cooking access and adoption in Nigeria.
The call was made at Nigeria Clean Cooking Forum 2025 in Abuja, recently.
The Forum with theme “Cooking Energy for All in Nigeria: Scaling-Up Sustainable Access and Adoption,” underscored Nigeria’s commitment to clean cooking solutions, particularly following the approval of the Nigeria Clean Cooking Policy by the Federal Executive Council in April 2024.
The Nigeria Clean Cooking Forum 2025 was organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment, GIZ, Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP), Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Atmosfair Climate and Sustainability Limited and Toyola Energy Group.
In his welcome address, Ewah Otu Eleri, Executive Director of the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development, stressed the urgent need for action.
He emphasised the concerning statistic that approximately 175 million Nigerians still rely on harmful cooking practices, calling upon all stakeholders to collaborate in enhancing access to clean cooking solutions and addressing economic barriers to adoption.
The Honourable Minister for Environment, Mallam Balarabe Lawal, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, emphasised the necessity of strong leadership in promoting clean cooking initiatives. The Federal Government recognises the clean cooking movement as a crucial economic and gender-inclusive necessity, pledging to bolster climate policies that foster entrepreneurship and improve access to affordable household technologies.
Germany’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Her Excellency Annett Gunther, praised Nigeria’s ambitious goal of achieving 25 per cent annual progress towards clean cooking, reaffirming Germany’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in enhancing access, fostering innovations, and strengthening institutions.
Ms Inga Stefanowicz, Team Leader for the Green and Digital Economy in Nigeria at the European Union (EU), reiterated the EU’s commitment to improving access to clean cooking through financing, policy development, and partnerships, highlighting the intersection of clean cooking with gender equality, social equity, and environmental impact.
Dr Markus Wagner, Country Director for GIZ Nigeria and ECOWAS, represented by Duke Benjamin, stressed the importance of strong collaboration among government, private sector, civil society, and development partners to achieve universal access by 2030.
Olamide Fabuji, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, revealed alarming figures indicating that over 98,000 Nigerians suffer premature deaths each year from smoke inhalation due to traditional cooking methods.
He detailed the government’s initiative to develop an integrated framework alongside the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) and the Clean Cooking Alliance, stating, “The path ahead requires courage, collaboration, and capital. We must leverage technological innovation and mobilise financial resources to ensure no household is left behind.”
Sebastian Rudolph, Project Team Lead at Atmosfair Climate and Sustainability Limited, noted the potential of the carbon market for the clean cooking sector but highlighted the need for the Nigerian government to establish viable frameworks to uphold high standards in the development and monitoring of clean cook stoves.
The Forum ended with a strong commitment from all stakeholders to achieve universal access to clean cooking energy for Nigerians by 2030. They pledged to enhance government leadership, initiate grassroots awareness campaigns, and create inclusive policies to drive progress. Additionally, there was a unified call for a credible carbon market framework and better financial access to foster innovation and support marginalised communities.
This policy aims to transform the cooking landscape for over 200 million Nigerians by setting ambitious targets for adopting clean technologies, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with the goal of having half of all households embrace clean alternatives by 2030.
