Greenplinth signs agreement with Benue, Niger on cookstoves

Greenplinth Africa has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Benue and Niger States to distribute four million clean cookstoves and plant 100 million economic trees as part of efforts to promote environmental sustainability and economic empowerment. Each of the states would get 2m clean cookstoves as part of the MoA signed in Lagos during […]

Greenplinth Africa has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Benue and Niger States to distribute four million clean cookstoves and plant 100 million economic trees as part of efforts to promote environmental sustainability and economic empowerment.

Each of the states would get 2m clean cookstoves as part of the MoA signed in Lagos during the opening ceremony of the ongoing Green Conference themed, “Decarbonising Africa: Pathway to Growth and Green Economy.”

The Clean Cookstoves Project is a transformative initiative, and a significant step forward in combating the adverse health and environmental impacts associated with traditional cooking methods, such as indoor air pollution and deforestation.

Speaking on the sidelines of the three-day conference, President of Greenplinth Africa, Dr. Olawale Akinwunmi, said the initiative is expected to generate tens of thousands of jobs in both states.

According to him, the agreement covers the deployment of two million clean cookstoves to women and households each in the state at no cost to beneficiaries, alongside the planting of 100 million economic trees.

“The MoA is for the deployment of two million stoves to women and households at no cost to the beneficiaries. Additionally, we aim to plant 100 million economic trees in Benue State. We will also ensure that women in the state have employment opportunities. We will be employing 13,000 people at a minimum wage of N185,000 per month,” Akinwunmi said.

In his remarks, the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Finance Officer of Greenplinth Africa, Babatunde Aina, disclosed that each clean stove beneficiary would also receive a monthly payment of N10,000 and free health insurance under the National Health Insurance Scheme.

He added that Benue would be the first state where the project would be fully rolled out.

“Each individual receiving a clean cookstove in Benue State will get two stoves, stainless steel pots, and 40 kilograms of farm-waste briquettes,” Aina stated.

Also speaking, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Benue Agricultural Development Company, Donald Akule, described the initiative as highly beneficial to the people of the state.

He explained that the MoA enables the state government to partner with Greenplinth Africa on the 100 million Tree-Agroforestry Project and the two-million cookstove programme.

Akule further revealed that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) would be established under the agreement to facilitate implementation, ensure accountability, and drive the delivery of the project’s objectives, including job creation and the establishment of a factory in the state.

Those who signed for Niger State were Hon. Abubakar Musa, Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change and Dr. Daniel Habila Galadima, Director-General, Niger State Agency for Green Economy Initiatives.