Group calls on FG to boost clean cooking for climate goals

The African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) has urged the Nigerian government to speed up clean cooking programs across the country. This appeal was made on Thursday by AGNES Nigeria Country Director David Awolala during the launch of the project, “Integrating E-Cooking in Nigeria’s Clean Cooking Policy Implementation Plan and Funding Proposals.”

The project is being carried out with the Federal Ministry of Environment, the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), the Federal Ministry of Power, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The group believes that increasing the use of electric cooking (e-cooking) is key to better public health, lowering emissions, and fulfilling Nigeria’s climate promises.

AGNES is a non-profit African think tank that focuses on climate science, policy, and action. Established in 2015, it supports the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) and African governments. AGNES is a major hub for climate policy, negotiations, and execution. It is recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), boosting its role in global climate governance.

In his speech, Mr Awolala said that while Nigeria has made some progress in climate action and energy transition, the country needs to move from just making policies to implementing them at a large scale.

“The scale of the clean cooking challenge requires accelerated implementation, stronger coordination, and increased investment,” he stated. “It requires that clean cooking solutions are not only discussed in policy terms, but are translated into programs, projects, and financing instruments that can reach households and communities at scale.”

He pointed out that millions of Nigerian homes still rely on fuelwood, charcoal, kerosene, and other harmful fuels. This not only exposes families to serious health risks, but also harms the environment and increases greenhouse gas emissions.

He said women and children bear the brunt of this issue, as they spend long hours collecting fuel and are most affected by household air pollution.

“These challenges affect productivity, education, health, and economic opportunity. They also contribute to environmental degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and short-lived climate pollutants,” he added.

Mr Awolala insisted that clean cooking should be seen as a national priority, not just a household energy issue. It touches on the environment, health, energy, gender, finance, and climate sectors.

According to AGNES, e-cooking can help reduce indoor air pollution, improve energy efficiency, cut down on reliance on traditional fuels, and create economic opportunities in appliance manufacturing, distribution, and services.

But Mr Awolala warned that for e-cooking to be widely adopted, the government must tackle key obstacles. “E-cooking will not scale automatically,” he said. “Its success will depend on affordability, reliability of electricity supply, consumer awareness, suitable appliances, enabling policy frameworks, innovative financing, market development, institutional coordination, and strong stakeholder ownership.”

The organization also noted that expanding e-cooking could help Nigeria tap into more climate finance through carbon markets.

Mr Awolala explained that switching to cleaner cooking fuels can lead to significant emission reductions. This could qualify for carbon credits under established standards.

“This can help unlock additional climate finance, attract private sector investment, support project sustainability, and create new revenue streams for scaling clean cooking solutions across the country,” he said.

He highlighted that Nigeria’s new Carbon Market Framework is a chance to bring in investments for clean cooking projects. This framework, signed in 2025 and approved during the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, sets up the rules for Nigeria’s participation in carbon markets under the Climate Change Act and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Mr Awolala mentioned that a well-planned national e-cooking program could help lower costs for households and support local businesses.

“The purpose of today’s workshop is clear. We are here to officially launch this project, identify opportunities and barriers, agree on practical entry points for implementation, and prepare strong, investment-ready proposals to attract climate finance, clean energy finance, and other relevant sources of support,” he said.

He added that AGNES will assist national institutions in turning clean cooking policies into actionable and finance-ready programs. He also announced that AGNES opened its country office in Abuja on 1 July 2026.

Amudi Chioma, the NDC & LT-LEDs desk officer at the Nigeria Climate Change Council, represented the council’s Director General. She said the event is timely, following the recent Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SB64) meetings.

She emphasized that parties must recognize that e-cooking is essential for mitigation and sustainable development. “E-cooking will strengthen the implementation of Nigeria’s NDC 3.0, as we have identified measures under that sub-sector,” she said. The NCCC official stressed that quickly adopting clean cooking will also help meet health sector targets in Nigeria’s NDC 3.0.