The federal government has disclosed that the full implementation of the National Clean Cooking Policy of Nigeria will create not less than ten million direct jobs among youths in the country.
The jobs, according to the government, range from assembling of local raw materials to production and chains of distribution of clean cookstoves in addition to the carbon credit earning.
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal who disclosed this in Abuja, stated that the Federal Executive Council (FEC), approved the National Clean Cooking Policy in Nigeria to mitigate greenhouse gas emission, improve health, create jobs, build livelihoods, protect the environment, prevent deforestation, help families, institutions and businesses save time and money.
Balarabe said the full implementation of the policy would also enable Nigerians to achieve the Nationally Determined Contribution target, net zero 2060, Energy Transition Plan and carbon-neutral clean cooking future by the year 2060 which the country has made commitments.
The Minister noted that in line with the Energy Transition Plan, 20 per cent of the total clean cooking target shall come from electric cooking, comprising grid and off-grid sources and 54 percent from Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG).
He added that the sharing of fuel-efficient biomass cookstoves will rise to 13 per cent before its expected decline in a post 2030 clean cooking scenario.
“Other components of the 2030 target include 3 per cent for biogas, representing ethanol, biodiesel, methanol, and five per cent representing briquettes from mostly agricultural waste,” he added.
Lawal noted that policy aligns with the clean cooking targets in the updated NDC (2021), National climate Change Policy of Nigeria (2021-2030), Climate Change Act (2021 and National Gas Policy (2017).
“This policy was unveiled at the 17th session of the National Council on Environment on 24th April, 2024 at NAF Event Centre, Abuja,” he said.
The ministry’s Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Ibrahim Haruna in a statement explained that the Policy would be implemented by the relevant Federal MDAs and transmitted to the 36 states and FCT, for buy-in and domestication.
The policy recognizes the role of states and local governments as well as all stakeholders in achieving its key recommendations, which includes; awareness creation, integrated solutions,capacity building and financing.
Others are institutional cooking, planning and institutionalization, collaboration, incentives, technologies and research among others.
He further stated that as a major economic benefit, the Ministry has visited major local clean cookstove manufacturing companies in Nigeria for collaboration to scale up the production.
The minister mentioned that the Ministry is engaging development partners such as World Bank for support and partnership in achieving the set targets which is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.