Nigeria as a Catalyst for Africa’s Clean Energy Transition – Chief Uche Nnaji
At today’s FMIST/AfDB/UNDP Clean Cooking Stakeholder Workshop, Chief Uche Nnaji Minister of Innovation Science and Technology had the honour of reaffirming Nigeria’s leadership in the global march toward universal clean cooking by 2030, as part of Mission 300.
The scale of the challenge is stark: over 86 million Nigerians—33 million households—still cook with firewood and charcoal, contributing to deforestation, severe indoor air pollution, and health crises that disproportionately affect women and children. Globally, this is one of the largest access deficits, with profound implications for climate, health, and economic development.
Yet, we see this not just as a crisis, but as a transformational opportunity. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria is positioning clean cooking as a pillar of its energy transition, gender empowerment, and climate resilience strategy.
🔹 Our roadmap calls for ₦36.9 trillion in investment by 2030, anchored by:
- LPCNG adoption leveraging domestic gas resources.
- Improved biomass stoves, ethanol, and biogas systems for rapid, affordable scale-up.
- A Project Management Unit to ensure accountable delivery from pilot to scale.
- A National Clean Cooking Financing Platform to integrate public, donor, private, and carbon finance into one transparent, bankable pipeline
Nigeria’s ambition is clear: not only to close our own clean cooking access gap, but to serve as a continental model and catalyst—demonstrating how innovative financing, inter-ministerial coordination, and international partnerships can turn access deficits into economic and social dividends.
For global partners, this is a call to action:
✅ To collaborate on building the largest clean cooking investment pipeline in Africa.
✅ To co-create innovative financing instruments that unlock scale.
✅ To ensure Africa’s clean energy transition delivers tangible benefits for households, women, and communities.
The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of bold investment. Let us together convert ambition into action, and action into impact—for Nigeria, for Africa, and for the world.
I thank AfDB, UNDP, and our partners in government, industry, private sector, and finance for their steadfast support. Together, we will ensure universal clean cooking access is not just a goal, but a reality.I thank AfDB, UNDP, and our partners in government, industry, private sector, and finance for their steadfast support. Together, we will ensure universal clean cooking access is not just a goal, but a reality.
