By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
A non-governmental organisation, Earth and Sustainability Initiative (ESI), has urged women in Lagos to embrace clean cooking solutions as part of efforts to improve their health and reduce environmental pollution.
The organisation took its sensitisation campaign to Agboju Market on Thursday, 27 November 2025, as part of its ongoing community outreach.
The NGO’s Programme Director, Mrs Ebere Akwuebue, said the group has been educating women on the hazards linked to unsafe cooking practices.
She noted that many households still depend on charcoal, firewood, sawdust and similar fuels, which she described as “a major source of health problems and environmental pollution”.
According to her, the campaign aims to make climate change information easy to understand while showing the dangers of traditional cooking methods.
She said the advocacy also highlights cleaner alternatives that can make household cooking safer and healthier.
Akwuebue explained that several communities visited have shown strong interest in switching to cleaner technologies.
However, she reiterated that many families are held back by limited access to clean cookstoves and the high cost of acquiring them.
She recalled that ESI partnered with Solar Sisters last year to distribute clean cookstoves to women in selected communities.
Akwuebue added that the organisation hopes to expand its reach by working more closely with both private and public sector partners.
She said the group is considering a pay-as-you-go system to help women buy clean cookstoves through small instalment payments.
“This approach can serve as a low-hanging fruit in reducing emissions and supporting Nigeria’s net-zero goals,” she said.
She explained that ESI currently works with community leaders to gain access and mobilise households for each outreach.
More than 100 women attended the Agboju sensitisation, while past programmes over the last three years have recorded between 150 and 200 participants per community.
At the outreach, clean cookstoves that use less briquettes or charcoal—and burn more efficiently than open-fire pots—were demonstrated.
Speaking on behalf of the host market’s leadership, Mrs Margret Ibekwe commended ESI for extending the sensitisation to grassroots women.
She said the demonstration exposed many women to clean cookstoves for the first time and could “help reduce smoke pollution in homes”.
Ibekwe encouraged participants to adopt the technology, noting that it can improve their family’s well-being and support cleaner communities.
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