Minister: 80,000 Women Die Annually from Firewood Smoke

The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has said that over 80,000 Nigerian women die annually from toxic smoke caused by traditional cooking methods such as firewood and stoves.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, she urged players in the energy sector to collaborate in helping rural women gain access to clean energy.

“Energy poverty is not just a technical challenge; it is a social injustice,” she said. “It traps women in cycles of unpaid labour, economic dependence, and health risks. In many communities, women spend up to eight hours a week gathering firewood.”

She also spoke about providing solar-powered tools for farming and household use. “Through this initiative, we will provide energy access via solar home systems, clean cooking technologies, solar water pumps, e-mobility tools, and other productive-use appliances in every corner of the nation,” she added.

The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar-Aliyu, said the Nigerian Electrification Project, a $550 million programme, has reached around eight million people and 35,000 businesses, including 12,000 run by women.

He stated that President Bola Tinubu has approved another $750 million off-grid power project, with $410 million allocated for mini-grids and $240 million for solar home systems. “So, there is a huge opportunity for us to replicate and scale this intervention across the country,” he said.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Halilu, also commented on the impact of energy poverty on women in rural areas.

Represented by Dr. Olayode Olasupo, NASENI’s Director of Manufacturing Services, Halilu said, “Poverty ranges from a lack of access to clean energy for cooking to limited access to energy for lighting and other essential social systems. This, in turn, restricts access to critical services, limits economic opportunities, and compromises health and safety.”

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