Janet Ogundepo
The Ministry of Environment is planning to hold a national fair to exhibit clean cooking technologies which is meant to drive the transition to green energy following PUNCH Healthwise report.
The Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Salako, revealed plans for the fair in a recent interview with PUNCH Healthwise, stating that it aims to spotlight the innovative solutions developed by women to address climate change challenges.
PUNCH Healthwise had beamed the spotlight on some women who amid scarce resources, changed the narratives by pioneering locally-made inventions to address climate change problems in the country.
The report with the headline, ‘Amid stiff challenges, Nigerian women break barriers with extraordinary climate-smart solutions’, was published on March 31, 2024.
The story featured how the women innovators discovered and produced clean cooking technologies despite limited resources.
The report also delved into the challenges faced by these women, including the not-too-pleasant experience of one, whose creation of a gel-like cooking fuel from moringa leaves was halted due to financial constraints.
Speaking on the matter, Salako emphasised the ministry’s commitment to support women by facilitating connections with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and private investors to commercialise their products.
Salako said, “Yes, these are very important issues to us. For example, the ministry is promoting what is called clean cooking practices. That is, cooking practices that are more environmentally friendly, that use less charcoal and that don’t deplete our forests.
“We are involved in that and I can tell you that in the coming days, one of the key activities of the Ministry of Environment is to organise a fair, a national fair on clean cooking technologies that such women like this can come around and exhibit their products, and then, we can link them with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite and other private investors that can help them to commercialise those products.”
The minister further noted that although the ministry lacked the skills and resources to commercialise inventions, the exhibition, when held, would provide a platform for the inventions to gain exposure and access potential support.
“As the Ministry of Environment, we don’t have the skills and manpower for commercialisation of inventions. But we can help them exhibit the inventions, bring them to the public space and also link them with the Federal Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment that can support them. So that is one key area that we’re working on.
“If what those women you mentioned are doing is on a scale that is national in outlook and that can fit into this kind of fair that I spoke about, I assure you that they should just look out in the coming days and weeks, we will be coming out with our plan in that regard,” he assured.
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