Nigeria’s energy transition drive gains momentum on scaling clean cooking solutions

Nigeria is accelerating its shift to cleaner energy with a focus on scaling clean cooking solutions, aiming to improve public health, reduce emissions, and drive industrial growth.

Owing to this drive, BURN, the world’s leading clean cookstove company and carbon project developer, is supporting Nigeria’s efforts to scale clean cooking as one of the country’s most immediate and investable climate solutions— delivering emissions reductions, public health gains, and industrial growth.

These opportunities and challenges were discussed recently during a high-level media roundtable convened by BURN, to examine clean cooking, carbon finance, and Nigeria’s climate ambitions.

The roundtable explored how policy, private capital, and local manufacturing can work together to unlock scalable, high-integrity climate action.

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Olamide Fagbuji, senior special assistant to the President on Climate Technology & Operations and presidential co-chair of the Clean Cooking Alliance, at the roundtable discuss stressed that clean cooking is a practical transition Nigeria can scale quickly, with immediate benefits for families.

“When technology, strong standards, local manufacturing, and affordable financing align, it becomes a fast route to deliver our climate and energy commitments,” Fagbuji said.

With more than 80 percent of Nigerian households still dependent on biomass fuels, inefficient cooking continues to place pressure on forests, household incomes, and public health systems.

Globally, inefficient cooking accounts for nearly one gigaton of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually, making clean cooking one of the fastest routes for Nigeria to translate its NDC 3.0 commitments and National Energy Transition Plan into measurable outcomes.

Recent policy signals, including the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Policy (NCMAP) and the Tax Reform Act introduced in 2026, have strengthened the investment case for clean cooking by improving market clarity, enforcement, and access to private capital.

These developments featured prominently in discussions, highlighting how aligned policy frameworks can unlock private-sector-led climate solutions.

Etulan Ikpoki, country manager, BURN Nigeria, said clean cooking is one of the few climate solutions Nigeria can scale quickly, credibly, and at household level.

“When local manufacturing, strong standards, and carbon finance work together, the results are immediate—lower emissions, healthier families, and real economic value.”

“We welcome the government’s leadership in putting policy frameworks in place that support credible carbon markets and clean energy investment.”

Since launching its Nigeria operations in 2018, BURN has invested more than $9.6 million in Nigeria, including its ISO-certified assembly plant in Kano.

The facility currently produces 40,000 clean cooking appliances per month, with capacity to scale to 100,000 units, supporting Nigeria’s industrialization agenda while creating skilled local jobs.

The organisation has distributed nearly 1,000,000 fuel-efficient cookstoves nationwide and employs 700 people, nearly 40 percent of whom are women.

By leveraging carbon finance, BURN has subsidized stove prices by 60–100 percent, delivering approximately US$15 million in discounts to Nigerian households and enabling families to access a $40 stove for as little as $5.

“Clean cooking is one of Nigeria’s most investable climate interventions,” said Ibrahim Shelleng, seniors special assistant to the President on Climate Finance & Stakeholder Engagement.

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“The priority now is converting policy momentum into bankable programmes, backed by credible monitoring, clear rules, and coordinated action.”

Across Africa, BURN has distributed approximately 6.3 million clean cooking appliances, improving the lives of 32.5 million people, reducing household fuel costs by $2.3 billion, lowering indoor air pollution by 65–100 percent, and protecting forests by saving more than 36.5 million tons of wood.