FG To Address Energy Poverty

The Federal Ministry of Environment has promised to address energy poverty in the country through its Rural Women Energy Security (RUWES) project.

The Supervising Minister of the ministry, Mr Darius Ishaku,said this at the official launch of RUWES and the 4th Annual Nigeria Renewable Energy Day in Abuja.

Ishaku said nearly half of the country’s population cook on open fires, a contributor to deforestation, global warming, respiratory infections and premature deaths.

He said that solid and fossil fuel combustion emissions from household cooking and heating were a leading risk factor for diseases.

The Tide reports that energy poverty refers to the situation where a large number of people in developing countries whose well-being is negatively affected by low consumption of energy, use dirty or polluting fuels and spend excessive time in collecting fuel to meet basic needs.

The minister identified energy poverty as a risk factor from household cooking accounting for approximately four per cent of all health-life-years in low and middle income regions of the country.

“As if this statistics was not worrisome enough, we also know that the demand for fuel wood resources for household energy impacts terrestrial ecology.

‘’It impacts land-use patterns in a number of regions within the country and fuel gathering typically requires many hours per week for poor populations.