By Juliet Ukanwosu
The Africa Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) on Thursday, June 2nd, held a national stakeholder’s workshop on integration of e-Cooking in Nigeria’s clean cooking policy implementation.
The workshop which drew participants from relevant government agencies, national clean cooking and energy transition platforms, user and consumer groups, private sector actors, manufacturers and innovators, civil society organisations, women-led initiatives and community-based organizations, media, academia and research institutions, as well as development partners and financing institutions, also witnessed the inauguration of the Project Steering Committee with members selected from diverse background.
Speaking at the opening of the event, County Director of AGNES Nigeria, Dr. David Awolala, identified clean cooking as one of Nigeria’s most pressing climate and public health challenge, pointing out that millions of citizens still rely on firewood, charcoal and kerosene for cooking across the country.
He explained that the stakeholder’s workshop was aimed at co-designing effective approaches for increased investment, coordinated implementation and stronger partnerships to accelerate the adoption of e-cooking technologies across the country.
According to Awolala, the objectives of the inception workshop, which was organized in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment, The Presidency- National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), and the Federal Ministry of Power, with support from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), include identifying enabling conditions, priority interventions, and financing models for scaling e-Cooking in
Nigeria.
He added that other objectives include identifying relevant data, evidence, state and non-state stakeholders, and institutions required to inform funding proposals, as well as identifying evidence gaps, institutional and financing opportunities and entry points for scaling e-cooking in Nigeria.
Commending the partners for supporting the initiative, Awolala stressed that “Clean cooking cannot be treated only as a household energy issue. It is a national priority that cuts across health, environment, energy, climate action and economic development.”
He emphasized that e-cooking offered opportunities to reduce household air pollution, improve energy efficiency, stimulate local enterprise, strengthen energy access and support Nigeria’s climate and development commitments.
Awolala, while noting that the successful implementation of e-cooking in Nigeria would require affordable appliances, reliable electricity and supportive policies, however added that, “Clean cooking solutions must move beyond policy discussions into practical programmes and investments that improve lives and transform communities at scale.” This he said would require innovative financing, consumer awareness, market development, effective institutional coordination, among others.
While announcing the opening of AGNES office in Nigeria, he assured of the organizations readiness to work with stakeholders to strengthen ideas that would accelerate e-cooking policy implementation and adoption in Nigeria.
Awolala added further that Nigeria’s carbon market framework and climate commitments provides the country an opportunity to attract investments, generate carbon credits and accelerate access to modern cooking technologies.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Salihu Aminu Usman, in his remarks, stated that government has laid the necessary foundation to drive Nigeria’s transition to clean cooking, urging stakeholders to move beyond policy discussions to implementation strategies.
Speaking through the Ministry’s Director, Department of Climate Change, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, the Permanent Secretary emphasized that what is now required is collective action from all stakeholders including the private sector, development partners, academia and accountability actors.
He pointed out that the adoption of e-cooking technologies would not only help Nigeria meet its climate commitments, but also contribute to improved public health, promote renewable energy adoption, create green jobs and strengthen domestic manufacturing of clean cooking technologies.
“Government has provided the necessary policy framework, the success of implementation now depends on our collective commitment and partnership,” Usman said, while urging development partners, academia, civil society and private sector stakeholders to develop scalable financing mechanisms to accelerate affordable, safe and sustainable e-cooking adoption in Nigeria.
Also speaking at the workshop, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman, called on development partners, financial institutions and private investors to work collaboratively to provide the most effective financing model necessary to accelerate affordable e-cooking adoption in Nigeria.
He also urged stakeholders to collaborate on effective sensitization, consumer awareness and behavioral change strategies, while disclosing that about 167 million Nigerians lacked access to clean cooking; a situation he described as a major public health and development crisis.
The Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Ministry’s Director, Renewable and Rural Access, Dr. Sunday Owolabi, reiterated that e-cooking offered opportunities to improve energy access, reduce deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, while supporting Nigeria’s renewable energy transition plan and commitments.
In her presentation titled: ‘Nigeria’s Clean Cooking Policy Implementation Plan and Entry Points for e-Cooking,’ Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe said, the plan aims to among others accelerate access to clean cooking solutions, and reduce dependence on traditional biomass.
She added that part of the plan is also to strengthen market development, mobilise investment and partnerships, as well as support climate and environmental objectives.
She listed the important implementation pillars to include policy and regulation; market development; financing and investment as well as awareness and capacity building.
Similarly, in her presentation titled: ‘Identifying Priority Actions for e-Cooking: Opportunities, Barriers and Policy Considerations,’ the Focal Point- NDC Act & Investment, NCCC, Chioma Amudi, disclosed that current statistics from preliminary review on baseline assessment shows that only 1percent of Nigeria’s use electricity as the source of primary cooking fuel.
Amudi stated that project’s target is to ensure that e-cooking accounts for 37% of commercial cooking, 27% of rural households, 53% of urban households, and 20% of total clean cooking in Nigeria.