A recent media parley organized by GreenPlinth Africa Limited in Lagos drew attention to efforts to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming in Nigeria through the initiative of 80 million clean energy cooking stoves for households in the country and imperative of protecting the environment and slowing global warming through energy transition.
The Lagos event came just three days after the world marked International Clean Energy Day on January 26, 2026.
Earlier, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, had given frank observation of the global energy transition, noting that the shift is gradually taking shape, but acknowledged that it was not moving fast enough as expected.
His blunt assessment and caution that the world is moving towards a temporary overshoot beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius points to growing acceptance within climate diplomacy and calculus that the immediate challenge has moved from perfection to containment, making the breach “as small, as short, and as safe as possible” through a just and orderly transition away from fossil fuels.
At the heart of this transition are renewables, which Guterres tagged the “engine” of change. The numbers support the claim. In 2024, wind, solar and other renewables generated more electricity globally than coal for the first time, and in most markets they are now the cheapest source of new power.
Promise for the Future
Beyond emissions, renewables are a promissory note for energy security, insulation from geopolitical shocks and lower long-term costs, benefits that have become more visible in the thick of recent global energy disruptions.
At the Lagos event, the Lagos State Government voiced strong interest and willingness to provide full support to ensure that residents of the state maximally benefit from the distribution of clean and energy-efficient cooking stoves to 80 million Nigerian households.
The initiative has as its objective the distribution of 80 million highly efficient clean cookstoves free of charge to households across the country, cutting dependence on firewood by more than 90 per cent, and also includes a plan to plant four billion economic trees nationwide to reduce deforestation, improve public health and create an estimated 3.5 million green jobs, while supporting Nigeria’s Net Zero 2060 commitment.
Speaking at the engagement, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Tunde Lemo, said the initiative was one of the most ambitious clean cooking and household energy transition programmes ever undertaken globally. He said the project was not a pilot scheme, but a nationally endorsed and scalable intervention already registered on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Action Portal.
According to him, full implementation could eliminate about 1.2 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, positioning Nigeria as a major contributor to global emission reduction through household energy reform. He added that the project prioritizes women and children, who bear the brunt of indoor air pollution from traditional cooking methods.
Lemo noted that the transition would be managed in a way that protects livelihoods, explaining that firewood sellers are to be retrained and absorbed into the clean energy value chain rather than displaced. He also disclosed that the program was formally flagged off in Makoko, Lagos, in June last year, with phased implementation planned across multiple states of the federation.
Ahead on Carbon Reduction
According to Lemo, once Greenplinth Africa’s project is fully implemented, the project is expected to “remove about 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, making it the largest single clean cooking and household energy transition initiative globally.” Lemo stressed that the intervention is neither experimental nor speculative, noting: “This is not a pilot. It is not a promise. It is a nationally endorsed, structured, and scalable intervention.
The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Environment, Engineer Rotimi Akodu, unfolded the state’s position at the event. He announced that the full roll-out of the clean cookstoves distribution would soon commence in eight states — Lagos, Niger, Enugu, Nasarawa, Benue, Kebbi, Borno, and Delta.
Experts at the forum noted that accessing the global carbon credit market, estimated to be worth about $7.5 trillion, had previously seemed unattainable for Nigeria.
However, with the deployment of energy-efficient cookstoves, the country stands a chance of earning up to $5 billion annually if the technology is fully deployed to 80 million households and used as prescribed.
The project also includes the planting of 4 billion trees nationwide, a figure estimated to be about 20 times Nigeria’s population.
In his special remarks and goodwill message, Engineer Akodu, said the forum was of particular interest to the Lagos State Government, having been actively involved in the project from inception.
He noted that if properly executed, the clean cookstoves initiative would significantly reduce Nigeria’s carbon footprint—especially in Lagos—while also promoting climate change adaptation and creating sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has made environment and health central to its agenda, believing that wider access to clean cookstoves would further reduce carbon emissions and improve living standards.
Also speaking, former General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and current Chairman of the House Committee on Environment at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Dr. Rasheed Adebola Shabi, stated that Nigeria is increasingly serious about reducing carbon emissions, with Lagos taking a leading role.
Dr. Shabi recalled that in 2013, Lagos began transitioning its official vehicles from diesel to gas, and in 2014 initiated programmes aimed at reducing vehicular emissions.
On his part, the Co-founder, Vice President, and Group Managing Director of Greenplinth Africa, the company behind the project, Dr. Victor Fadeke, said the innovation was the product of 25 years of research and development aimed at reducing carbon emissions and systematically shrinking Nigeria’s carbon footprint.
According to him, the project would contribute to at least 10 Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty reduction, food security, improved health, and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Fadeke described carbon as the “new global currency,” noting that significant revenue could be generated by countries that successfully reduce their carbon footprints. He added that Nigerians have reason to be grateful for the innovation, which he said would create sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of life.
“This is the first clean and efficient cookstove in the world that saves at least 90 percent of emissions released into the atmosphere. It targets 10 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It will help women, who spend up to 8 hours daily gathering firewood, allowing them to spend more quality time with their families. According to the World Bank, 85 percent of deforestation in Nigeria is caused by firewood use, and over 100,000 women and children die annually from indoor air pollution,” he said.
In a presentation, Engineer Babatunde Aina, Group Financial Officer of Greenplinth Africa, said the project involves the highlighted the uniqueness of the cookstove, noting that it can retain heat for up to 5 hours. He further stated that the stoves would be distributed free of charge, while beneficiaries would receive a ₦10,000 monthly stipend and free health insurance covering up to eight household members.
Also speaking, Prof. Yahaya Ahmed, Chief Operating Officer of Greenplinth Africa, presented a paper on how the Panda-15 Clean Cookstove works and its contribution to Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions.
He noted that prolonged exposure to air pollution causes respiratory illnesses and that Nigeria loses about 1.7 kilometres of land annually to desertification.
According to him, 250 villages have already been lost to desert encroachment in Yobe State alone, while coastal communities from Badagry to Calabar face severe threats from rising sea levels, with about 50 villages already submerged.
Other dignitaries, including former LASEPA General Manager Dr. Adetokunbo Adedeji, Dr. Eugene Itua, CEO of Natural Eco Capital, and Dr. Tony Ojoba, who emphasized the importance of a long-term carbon reduction strategy for Nigeria’s survival and economic transformation.