Efficient wood stoves could bring immediate economic benefits to Nigerian communities as well as longer term environmental benefits (© Yahaya Ahmed/2711 Efficient Fuel Wood Stoves for Nigeria)
Deforestation and desertification are two major problems for rural communities in Nigeria, driven by the region’s need for wood as a source of fuel for households.
In some areas of northern Nigeria, the supply of firewood – a traditional source of heating and cooking fuel for households – is in such short supply much of it is imported from the south of the country, often at high costs to families.
One Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project aims to tackle this problem but installing efficient wood stoves into households, cutting down on the amount of wood families need to use.
As well as the immediate economic benefits for families no longer having to pay out for so much fuel, other benefits have been witnessed from the project, including less indoor pollution, employment generation for young people and women, and huge potential savings of CO2.
In the eighth of a series of UNFCCC CDM Radio Club reports RTCC is hosting, Irini Roumboglou finds out how these efficient wood stoves are also helping to tackle the problems of deforestation and desertification in Nigeria.
The radio club aims to spread the word about the CDM in Africa and extend the benefits of the mechanism to communities that have not yet benefited from the scheme.