Benue clean cookstoves deal will deploy two million stoves with Greenplinth Africa to cut emissions, reduce firewood use and boost rural livelihoods

The Benue State Government has signed a memorandum of agreement with Greenplinth Africa in Lagos on Thursday to deploy two million clean cookstoves across the state, a major step aimed at advancing climate action and reducing dependence on firewood.

Also read: Benue Govt to Demolish Illegal Structures for Makurdi Road Dualisation

The agreement was signed with the Benue State Council on Climate Change during the Green Conference held in Lagos, where stakeholders described the initiative as a significant move from policy discussions to practical implementation of climate strategies at the sub-national level.

The three-day conference, themed “Decarbonisation Africa: Pathway to Climate Finance, Sustainable Growth and Green Economy,” brought together policymakers, environmental advocates and private-sector players involved in the continent’s emerging green economy.

Director-General of the Benue State Council on Climate Change, Dr Daniel Mailumo, said the Benue clean cookstoves deal represents a strategic intervention designed to reduce emissions while improving livelihoods in rural communities.

Mailumo explained that the programme would help households transition from traditional firewood to cleaner energy alternatives, strengthening the state’s drive towards net-zero emissions.

“The deployment of clean cookstoves to Benue means rural women will no longer rely on firewood but on low-emission alternatives. This will help us protect our environment as we drive towards net-zero emissions,” Mailumo said.

Organisers of the conference noted that the initiative makes Benue the first sub-national government in Nigeria to launch such a large-scale clean cookstove programme aimed at supporting both environmental sustainability and household prosperity.

Deputy Managing Director and Chief Finance Officer of Greenplinth Africa, Babatunde Aina, said the agreement signalled a stronger commitment than a typical memorandum of understanding.

“Agreement means we are going to do it,” Aina said, adding that Benue would also be among the first states to benefit from carbon credit opportunities linked to the project.

Under the initiative, each beneficiary household is expected to receive two clean cookstoves, stainless steel cooking pots and 40 kilograms of farm waste briquettes produced from agricultural residues such as rice husks.

Aina said beneficiaries would also receive monthly financial incentives as well as health insurance coverage for their families, a powerful combination intended to deliver both environmental and social benefits.

The programme is designed to convert agricultural waste into economic value while addressing deforestation, indoor air pollution and rural poverty.

According to Aina, women and girls are expected to benefit most from the project, as they often face health risks and security challenges while gathering firewood.

“We want to ensure the girl-child has more time to study and mothers are protected from respiratory ailments caused by smoke inhalation,” Aina said.

A member of Greenplinth Africa’s management team, Salisu Dahiru, noted that the conference builds on engagements from the previous year and highlights progress towards distributing 80 million cookstoves across Africa alongside large-scale tree-planting programmes aimed at generating carbon credits.

Dahiru commended Nigeria’s climate governance framework, pointing to the Climate Change Act as a key legal foundation for emissions reduction and accountability across federal, state and local governments.

However, he acknowledged that implementation remains complex due to the country’s size and multi-tier governance structure, stressing that partnerships between state governments and credible private-sector organisations are accelerating progress.

Also read: Bandits Abduct Six Travellers in Fresh Benue Attack

Stakeholders at the conference expressed optimism that the Benue clean cookstoves deal could serve as a template for scaling climate finance and green economy initiatives across the country as more states prepare to sign similar agreements.