A study by the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) says over 68.3% of Nigerian households still use solid biomass for cooking. A recent World Bank report, again, said about 4.3 million people die annually of indoor smoke inhalation and respiratory disease caused by emissions from cook-stoves.
It is said that use of wood fuels and biomass for cooking activities release large amounts of CO2, contributing to global warming. “Biomass-based cooking contributes about 2% of the global CO2 emissions and 25% of the global black carbon emissions worldwide,” a report said.
In reducing the carbon footprints resulting from these poor cooking practices, technology has provided a more sustainable and efficient means of cooking using clean fuels such as biogas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), electricity, solar, and natural gas to cook.
These clean cooking solutions have proven to be much more sustainable and beneficial for public health by reducing harmful emissions.
However, while the share of the global population with access to clean cooking fuels and technologies grew from 47% in 2000 to 59% in 2016, sub-Saharan Africa is reported to be lagging behind.
The situation is attributable to price limitation, accessibility to clean cooking fuels, and the absence of domestic gas processing capacity in many countries.
In low-income countries, affordability of clean cooking fuels and technologies are low. The high cost of purchasing clean cooking technology such as gas has been a barrier especially in rural areas.
Also low accessibility to clean cooking fuels, like LPG and electric power is hindering successful use of clean fuel. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, lack of access to electricity hinders the successful use of electric stoves.
In some countries, there is heavy dependence on imported gas due to absence of domestic gas (LPG) processing capacity. Despite these challenges, several developmental agencies, governments and private sector investors have begun deploying clean cooking solutions.
Recently, Clean Cooking Alliance launched Spark+Africa fund to finance pioneering companies that offer life-improving biomass, biogas, ethanol, electric, and LPG-based cooking technologies to low-income consumers.
Closing this gap will require coordinated efforts from government agencies, private sectors and the general public to achieve universal access to clean cooking (SDG 7).
Observers say that in Nigeria, there should be an integrated energy plan that addresses the complete suite of household energy needs, including clean cooking. This will help to maximise health and environmental sustainability.
Governments can develop a rigid clean cooking industry through tax and import duty waivers directed towards scaling these solutions to unserved regions.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the funding required to achieve universal access to modern, clean cooking by 2030 is estimated at US$4.5billion per annum. This shows the need for increased private sector investments in clean cooking solutions.
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