Federal government has emphasised the need to embrace biomass, solar energy, and clean stove technologies as central to Nigeria’s transition to sustainable energy.
The permanent secretary at the Ecological Project, Dr Aishetu Gogo Ndayako, stated this at a high-level stakeholder dialogue on charcoal production and forest conservation held in Abuja yesterday.
She said these alternative energy sources, especially in rural and semi-urban communities, were crucial in reducing deforestation and protecting the country’s forests.
“We must engage communities to find out what works best for them in terms of clean and sustainable energy,” Ndayako stated.
She highlighted the availability of agricultural waste biomass, solar systems, and improved stove technologies, adding that efforts were ongoing to make these options accessible to grassroots populations.
Acknowledging the cost barrier, she revealed that the government, in partnership with development agencies, was scaling up awareness and support under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The provision of clean stoves, which optimise the use of charcoal or agricultural biomass, is already being implemented,” she added.
Ndayako further noted that programmes led by the Energy Commission of Nigeria and other stakeholders were already underway but required expansion to reach more communities.
Also speaking, Usman Muhammad, Executive Director at the Centre for Renewable Energy and Natural Climate Change, warned that unregulated tree felling for charcoal production was worsening climate change and hurting the local economy.
“Exporting charcoal to Dubai, Asia and other markets is stripping our land of vital trees. One tree absorbs up to 30kg of carbon dioxide,” Muhammad said.
He called for sustainable charcoal practices, including tree planting with faster-growing species and cleaner production methods.
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