A Lagos-based non-governmental organisation, Earth and Sustainability Initiative (ESI), has stepped up its climate and health advocacy with a new outreach campaign aimed at helping market women transition from harmful traditional cooking fuels to cleaner alternatives. The latest sensitisation programme was held on Thursday at Agboju Market, drawing more than 100 participants.
ESI’s Programme Director, Ebere Akwuebue, said the organisation is concerned about the continued reliance on charcoal, firewood and other solid fuels, which expose families to dangerous smoke and contribute significantly to environmental degradation. She explained that many communities remain unaware of the full health and climate implications of traditional cooking methods.
Akwuebue noted that the campaign focuses on simplifying information about climate change and demonstrating safer technologies that reduce smoke, emissions and fuel consumption. She added that while community members have shown strong interest in cleaner cooking, affordability and access remain major barriers.
To address this, the NGO is exploring new partnerships with private companies and government agencies to widen distribution channels. Akwuebue revealed that ESI is also considering a pay-as-you-go purchase model that would allow low-income women to acquire clean cookstoves through small instalment payments, helping households shift to safer energy options.
ESI previously partnered with Solar Sisters to distribute clean cookstoves in rural and peri-urban communities, and the organisation plans to expand such collaborations. Akwuebue said the stoves demonstrated at the Agboju event use minimal briquettes or charcoal and offer better insulation and efficiency than open-fire cooking.
Representatives of the market leadership, including Mrs Margret Ibekwe, praised the initiative for bringing the training directly to grassroots traders. She said many of the women encountered clean cookstoves for the first time and were eager to adopt technologies that could reduce smoke pollution and improve their family’s health.
ESI, which has reached between 150 and 200 women per community in similar campaigns over the past three years, hopes to formalise partnerships with relevant ministries to scale up its work. The NGO says the push for clean cooking is essential to reducing emissions and supporting Nigeria’s efforts to meet its net-zero commitments.
