NIGERIA has commenced the pilot phase of an 80 million clean cookstoves initiative, a project expected to reshape household energy consumption, unlock billions of naira in climate finance and position the country as a major player in the global carbon market.
The programme, spearheaded by Greenplinth Africa Limited, was unveiled at a special media chat, Strategic Project Implementation Management Retreat and Stakeholders’ Engagement, in Lagos, where government officials, climate experts and industry stakeholders described it as one of the country’s most significant climate investment projects.
Designed to reduce dependence on firewood and other traditional biomass fuels, the initiative combines clean energy access with digital carbon credit verification, healthcare support, social protection and environmental restoration in what organisers say is a commercially sustainable climate financing model.
The Lagos State Special Adviser on Climate Change and Circular Economy, Mrs. Titilayo Oshodi, disclosed that results from the pilot project in Makoko demonstrated the initiative’s transformative potential.
She said participating households reduced average daily firewood consumption by more than 85 per cent, from about 10 kilogrammes to approximately 1.37 kilogrammes after switching to improved cookstoves.
She added that almost 97 percent of beneficiaries abandoned the use of multiple cooking fuels, while more than 90 per cent found the new stoves easier to operate. All participants rated the technology safer than conventional cooking methods.
“The future of climate action extends beyond ambition. It is built on implementation-ready projects capable of delivering measurable environmental, economic and social impact. The 80 Million Clean Cookstoves Initiative is one of those projects,” Oshodi said.
She noted that more than 900 million Africans still depend on firewood, charcoal and other traditional biomass for cooking, exposing millions of women and children to indoor air pollution, respiratory diseases, deforestation and economic hardship.
According to her, Lagos is already presenting the project to international investors and development finance institutions during the London Climate Action Week as part of efforts to attract climate finance into Nigeria.
She explained that beyond reducing emissions, the initiative would stimulate local manufacturing of clean cooking technologies, create green jobs, deepen Nigeria’s participation in international carbon markets and strengthen household energy security.
The state government, she added, considers the programme one of its flagship climate investment opportunities under its State Determined Contributions framework aimed at converting climate commitments into bankable projects.
Chairman of the occasion and former Minister of Environment, the Emir of Nasarawa, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jibril, described the initiative as both an environmental and humanitarian intervention, stressing that approximately one in every four people globally still relies on polluting fuels for cooking.
He warned that nearly three million people die annually from diseases associated with dirty cooking methods, making access to cleaner alternatives an urgent public health priority.
Jibril urged Nigeria to move swiftly in developing carbon credit opportunities around clean cooking before losing ground in the rapidly expanding international carbon market.
Drawing from the 2025 Clean Cooking Alliance report, he observed that countries such as Kenya, Sierra Leone and Nepal had already established supportive policies, financing frameworks and standards that accelerated clean cooking adoption.
He challenged Nigerian policymakers to implement similar reforms while encouraging greater investment in research, documentation and evidence-based implementation.
Sharing his personal experience, Jibril disclosed that methane generated from livestock waste on his farm now provides cooking gas for workers, while agricultural residues such as corn cobs, cassava peels, rice husks, sawdust and palm kernel shells are converted into smokeless briquettes as alternatives to charcoal.
President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Greenplinth Africa Limited, Dr. Olawale Akinwumi, said the initiative extends beyond distributing energy-efficient cookstoves to establishing a comprehensive social protection and climate finance ecosystem.
Under the proposed implementation model, participating households will receive the clean cookstoves at no cost under a monitored lease arrangement designed to ensure continuous usage.
The package includes a proposed monthly cooking support allowance of N10,000, healthcare coverage for families of up to eight persons and monthly supplies of 40 kilogrammes of biomass briquettes over a proposed 15-year programme.
Each cookstove is backed by a 30-year warranty and is designed to eliminate at least 15 metric tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
To ensure transparency and international credibility, every stove will be equipped with a digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) device capable of transmitting real-time usage data through blockchain-enabled systems for verification by global carbon credit buyers.
Organisers explained that verified emissions reductions would generate carbon credits capable of financing the programme while creating a sustainable revenue stream that supports long-term expansion.
Beyond clean household energy, the initiative also incorporates a nationwide environmental restoration programme targeting the planting of four billion trees.
Akinwumi said Makoko was deliberately selected as the pilot community because it provides an ideal environment to validate technology performance, user adoption, digital monitoring systems and operational logistics before the nationwide rollout begins with Lagos State.
Stakeholders at the retreat agreed that successful implementation would require close collaboration among federal and state governments, development partners, financial institutions, manufacturers, technology providers, traditional institutions and local communities.
If successfully executed, the initiative is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health, create thousands of green jobs, strengthen Nigeria’s carbon credit ecosystem and position the country as a leading destination for climate investment across Africa.
