• AGNES urges stronger collaboration, investment to fast-track e-cooking adoption across Nigeria
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The federal government Thursday declared it has put in place the policy framework required to drive Nigeria’s transition to clean cooking technologies.
It has therefore urged stakeholders across the public and private sectors to move beyond policy discussions and focus on implementation through stronger collaboration and sustained investment.
The assurance came as the Africa Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) called for increased investment, coordinated implementation and stronger partnerships to accelerate the adoption of e-cooking technologies across the country.
This is just as the federal government inaugurated the National E-Cooking Steering Committee, which is expected to coordinate and strengthen the implementation of Nigeria’s National Clean Cooking Policy.
Speaking at the inception workshop on integrating e-cooking into Nigeria’s National Clean Cooking Policy Implementation Plan in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Salihu Usman, said the government had laid the necessary foundation for the country’s clean cooking transition.
Represented by the Director of the Department of Climate Change in the ministry, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, Usman said the next phase required collective action from development partners, the private sector, academia and civil society.
“Government has provided the necessary policy framework. The success of implementation now depends on our collective commitment and partnership,” he said.
According to him, the adoption of e-cooking technologies would not only help Nigeria meet its climate commitments but also improve public health, promote renewable energy, create green jobs and strengthen domestic manufacturing of clean cooking technologies.
Usman urged stakeholders to develop scalable financing mechanisms that would make clean cooking solutions affordable and accessible to millions of Nigerians.
Earlier, the Country Director of AGNES Nigeria, Dr. David Awolala, described clean cooking as one of Nigeria’s most urgent development, climate and public health challenges, noting that millions of households still depend on firewood, charcoal and kerosene for their daily cooking needs.
He said clean cooking should no longer be viewed as merely a household energy issue but as a national development priority.
“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,” Awolala said.
He explained that the adoption of e-cooking technologies would significantly reduce household air pollution, improve energy efficiency, stimulate local businesses, expand energy access and support Nigeria’s commitments under global climate agreements.
According to him, successful implementation would require affordable cooking appliances, reliable electricity supply, supportive government policies, innovative financing models, consumer education, market development and effective institutional coordination.
He stressed the initiative must move beyond policy conversations to practical investments capable of transforming lives across the country.
“Clean cooking solutions must move beyond policy discussions into practical programmes and investments that improve lives and transform communities at scale,” he said.
Awolala added that Nigeria’s emerging carbon market framework and climate commitments presented significant opportunities to attract investments, generate carbon credits and expand access to modern cooking technologies.
He also announced the formal opening of AGNES Nigeria’s country office on July 1, 2026, describing it as a strategic step towards strengthening policy implementation, stakeholder engagement and financing for clean cooking initiatives.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman, disclosed that about 167 million Nigerians still lacked access to clean cooking, describing the situation as a major public health and development challenge.
Represented by a director in the ministry, Dr. Sunday Owolabi, Mamman said e-cooking offered enormous opportunities to improve energy access, reduce deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions while supporting Nigeria’s renewable energy transition.
He appealed to development partners, financial institutions and private investors to deepen collaboration and mobilise greater financing to accelerate the deployment of affordable clean cooking technologies.
In her remarks, the Head of Secretariat of the Rural Women Energy Security (RUWES) Initiative, Jumaima Ella, urged policymakers to place rural women at the centre of Nigeria’s clean cooking transition.
She pledged the organisation’s continued support for implementation through grassroots community engagement, stressing that no rural woman should be left behind because access to clean energy improves health, education and economic opportunities.
Similarly, the Regional Carbon Policy Lead for West Africa at BURN Manufacturing, Mrs. Sola Fatoba, commended Nigeria’s leadership in promoting clean cooking and described e-cooking as critical to achieving universal access to clean energy.
Fatoba disclosed that BURN Manufacturing had invested nearly $10 million in a clean cookstove factory in Kano and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s energy transition through climate finance initiatives.
The workshop climaxed with the inauguration of the National E-Cooking Steering Committee, which is expected to coordinate and strengthen the implementation of Nigeria’s National Clean Cooking Policy.
