In a renewed effort to meet Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP) commitments, the Federal Government has established a committee to develop a national policy on clean cooking and meeting universal access.
The Federal Ministry of Environment inaugurated the National Clean Cooking Committee under the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change. The committee comprised of key stakeholders in the public sector, private institutions, development partners and civil society organisations among others.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Musa Hassan, represented by Director of Human Resources, Mr. L. T. Adigwe, during his inaugural speech said the committee would tackle some of the complex issues that the clean cooking sector is facing, from the lack of an enabling environment to strengthening supply and demand of clean cooking in the country.
According to him “over 75 per cent of Nigeria’s population still rely on solid fuel for their household cooking and heating needs, which poses threat to the health and safety of end-users, mainly women often accompanied by their children.”
He attributed the lack of policy coherence and clear institutional leadership as a major barrier to realising the potential of clean cooking in the country.
Hassan called for joint and cooperative efforts to tackle the problem of inefficient cooking nationally and globally as no individual organisation can confront the phenomenon alone.
He assured that his ministry would continue to collaborate, support and provide the required leadership in ensuring a viable clean cooking sector in Nigeria.
Earlier, the Director, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, said: “Nigeria as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFCCC) and the Paris agreement has integrated clean cooking in its NDC with a commitment to expand access to clean cooking by 2030.”
She said the committee would improve the overall governance of the clean cooking industry, adding that the ministry in collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is also planning a policy that would provide consistent, coherent and coordinated measures to strengthen the supply chain, as well as expand demand for clean cooking fuels and technologies.
She praised the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED) and the Heinrich Boell Stiftung (HBS) for their relentless efforts and support to the ministry in expanding access to clean cooking solutions.
The Executive Director, ICEED, Mr. Ewah Eleri, noted that “Nigeria is facing a silent energy crisis. Only one in 10 households in the country use clean energy sources and technologies for cooking. Traditional cooking with firewood and other polluting fuels, such as kerosene and charcoal are claiming lives, destroying the environment and putting the burden on women.”
According to him, Nigeria has made a firm commitment to expand access to clean cooking. By 2030, the country aims to provide access to LPG for 48 per cent and improved biomass cookstoves for 13 per cent of households.
He said: “The committee will contribute to saving over 30,000 lives per year, building a domestic clean cooking industry and creating new jobs, reducing deforestation, assisting the government in meeting its climate change commitments, meeting its pledge to reduce SLCP and improving the lives of women.”
He charged all committee members to work hard and ensure access to clean cooking for all is achieved.
Country Director, Heinrich Boell Stiftung, Jochen Luckscheiter, congratulated ICEED, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cooking for taking up the issue of clean cooking and putting it into its programming.
He said: “Promoting clean cooking technologies and fuels is a low hanging fruit to reduce emissions in Nigeria.” He said that his organisation is excited to be associated with expanding access to clean cooking in Nigeria and urged all committee members to work hard and support the effort.”
The Secretary, Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cooking, Precious Onuvae, said the committee would focus on fostering an enabling environment; strengthening the supply chain and enhancing the demand for clean cooking solutions in Nigeria.
