The Kano State Government has begun the distribution of 3,400 clean cooking stoves donated to vulnerable women in the state by the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The state’s Commissioner for Water Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Dr Dahir Hashim, who inaugurated the distribution on Sunday in Kano, said the initiative was aimed at reducing the health and environmental risks associated with the use of firewood for cooking.
According to reports, WHO estimates that 2.9 million people died prematurely from household air pollution in 2021, while about 2.1 billion people worldwide still rely on polluting cooking fuels and technologies.
In Nigeria, clean cooking access remains low, with women and children particularly exposed to health risks from household air pollution.
Hashim said about 800 clean cooking stoves had so far been successfully distributed to vulnerable women across the state.
“These clean cooking stoves are part of the 3,400 allocated to Kano by the Federal Ministry of Environment,” he said.
He announced that the state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, had also supported each of the 800 beneficiaries with N25,000 to boost their small businesses and strengthen their livelihoods.
According to him, the intervention aligns with the government’s broader mission of cutting down emissions to the barest minimum and promoting cleaner alternatives to traditional cooking methods.
The commissioner noted that women had, for years, endured severe health hazards from inhaling toxic smoke produced by firewood, owing to their frequent exposure to traditional cooking methods.
He said prolonged exposure to such smoke could pose serious health risks, particularly respiratory problems, describing the exposure as equivalent to smoking multiple packs of cigarettes daily.
“These new stoves will drastically reduce these risks and protect them from respiratory diseases,” Hashim said.
He explained that the clean cooking initiative was part of broader efforts by the government to tackle climate change while improving the health and living conditions of vulnerable women in the state.
Hashim commended the Federal Government for providing the stoves and urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the items given to them.
He further revealed that the state government was also committed to expanding its clean energy initiatives, including the solarisation of street lights and many Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
According to him, the solarisation projects were part of measures being taken by the government to reduce dependence on conventional energy sources and contribute to its efforts to cut emissions.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf for his leadership in combating climate change and empowering grassroots communities.
He said continued investment in initiatives that combine environmental protection with economic empowerment would help improve the wellbeing of vulnerable communities across the state.
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