By Nafisat Makinde
The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has launched a groundbreaking clean energy transformation initiative aimed at addressing the alarming rate of premature deaths among Nigerian women. Over 80,000 Nigerian women die every year from toxic smoke emanating from firewood and traditional cooking stoves, Honourable Minister Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim revealed.
“These women are not statistics; they are mothers, providers, and nation-builders. Their deaths are avoidable, unjust, and must end on our watch,” Suleiman-Ibrahim emphasized. She added that energy poverty is a social injustice that locks women in cycles of unpaid labor, economic dependence, and health risks. “In many communities, women spend up to 8 hours a week gathering firewood,” she noted. “Imagine what they could build with that time, if only they had access to clean energy.”
The clean energy initiative, launched in collaboration with the Nigeria Consumer Credit Corporation, aims to provide energy access through solar home systems, clean cooking technologies, solar water pumps, e-mobility tools, and other productive-use appliances in every corner of the nation. “This is our moment. This is our mission. It is Women O’clock, and this is the energy poverty revolution we’ve been waiting for,” Suleiman-Ibrahim declared. “I invite you all not just to witness history but to help us make it.”
The Minister outlined ambitious targets, including empowering women with clean energy solutions, powering homes with solar energy, and equipping women with modern clean cooking technologies. “Through this initiative, we are building a national clean energy ecosystem that brings together ministries, financial institutions, local manufacturers, global tech firms, women’s cooperatives, and development agencies,” Suleiman-Ibrahim explained. “We are connecting policy to people, innovation to impact, and gender to growth,” she added.
The initiative is expected to benefit millions of Nigerian women across all 774 Local Government Areas, delivering lifesaving and life-changing clean energy solutions. The Minister expressed gratitude to the Nigeria Consumer Credit Corporation for cohosting the engagement and emphasized the importance of collective action in addressing energy poverty.
As the initiative takes off, stakeholders are optimistic about the potential impact on the lives of Nigerian women. The clean energy revolution is expected to not only reduce premature deaths but also promote economic empowerment, education, and sustainable development. “Thank you. God bless the women of Nigeria. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Suleiman-Ibrahim concluded.
