The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of the National Clean Cooking Policy, which will contribute to meeting Nigeria’s sustainable energy and emissions reduction targets.
Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Clean Cooking Forum, Minister for Environment, Mallam Balarabe Lawal, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mallam Mahmud Adam Kambari, underscored the government’s resolve to ensure clean cooking energy for all Nigerian.
In his address, he stated that “our Ministry recognises that clean cooking initiatives are crucial pathways to reducing emissions, bolster climate policies that foster entrepreneurship and achieving Nigeria’s target of net-zero emissions by 2060, as a result we are taking concrete steps toward the implementation of the National Clean Cooking Policy”. He emphasised the necessity of strong leadership in promoting clean cooking initiatives.
This year’s theme, ‘Clean Cooking Energy for All in Nigeria: Scaling-Up Sustainable Access and Adoption”, highlights the urgent need to address the pressing challenges of clean cooking access and adoption in Nigeria especially the need for innovative financing mechanisms to make clean fuels and technologies more affordable.
Despite advancements in promoting cleaner cooking technologies, recent trends indicate a concerning regression, with many households reverting to traditional polluting fuels. This reversal is largely driven by the rising costs of cleaner alternatives, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which has become increasingly unaffordable for a significant segment of the population.
In his welcome address, Ewah Otu Eleri, Executive Director, International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED, and Chairman, Board of Trustee, Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cooking, noted that access to clean cooking should be seen as a human right, not a luxury.
“Just as governments around the world subsidise vaccines to save lives, we must do the same for clean cooking energy. Every woman and child has the right to breathe clean air and live free from the deadly smoke of traditional stoves. Investing in clean cooking is not just about technology – it’s about health, dignity, and justice for millions of Nigerian families”, he lamented.
Annett Gunther, Germany’s Ambassador to Nigeria, in her goodwill message, praised Nigeria’s ambitious goal of achieving 25 per cent annual progress towards clean cooking. She reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in enhancing access, fostering innovations, and strengthening institutions for clean cooking expansion.
The Team Lead for Green and Digital Economy in Nigeria at the European Union (EU), Ms. Inga Stefanowicz, reiterated the EU’s commitment to improving access to clean cooking through financing, policy development, and partnerships, highlighting the intersection of clean cooking with gender equality, social equity, and environmental impact.
Addressing the forum, Duke Benjamin, representing Dr Markus Wagner, Country Director for GIZ Nigeria and ECOWAS, said: “Strong collaboration among government, private sector, civil society, and development partners is needed to achieve universal access by 2030. This collaboration will make carbon finance accessible to community-based clean cooking projects. This would enhance the financial sustainability of the clean cooking sector while supporting Nigeria’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.”
Mr. Ben Nkechika, representing Bello Lawal, National President, ALGON, also called for stronger collaboration among all levels of government, even as he expressed the willingness of the 774 local government chairmen across the nation to support the clean cooking initiative and foster dialogue at local levels.
Olamide Fabuji, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, in his goodwill message, detailed the government’s initiative to develop an integrated framework alongside the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) and the Clean Cooking Alliance, stating, “The path ahead requires courage, collaboration, and capital. We must leverage technological innovation and mobilise financial resources to ensure no household is left behind.”
Dr. Abdullahi Mustapha, Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, represented by Dr. Izuchukwu Okafor, announced the Commission’s partnership with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to develop innovative clean cooking stoves aimed at enhancing fuel efficiency and reducing health hazards.
The forum called for public-private partnerships, greater investment in domestic LPG production and distribution infrastructure, and support for alternative fuels such as bioethanol and compressed biomass briquettes, capacity-building programmes for clean cooking entrepreneurs, the establishment of a national framework to streamline carbon credit certification, the need for smart and well-targeted subsidy mechanisms that prioritize vulnerable populations while preserving market sustainability, transparency, and accountability.
The 2025 Nigeria Clean Cooking Forum, held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, from October 9-10, 2025, convened over 200 key stakeholders, including representatives from federal ministries and agencies, state governments, international development partners, stove and fuel producers, marketers, academia, and the media.