The Clean Tech Innovation Hub (CTIH), under the GIZ Clean Cooking Scale-Up Project, is training 300 women entrepreneurs in Kano State on clean cooking technologies, entrepreneurship and business opportunities as part of efforts to expand access to cleaner and safer cooking solutions.
The three-day Clean Cooking Entrepreneurship Workshop, which commenced on Tuesday and would end on Thursday and is designed to equip rural and peri-urban women with practical knowledge and skills to participate in the growing clean cooking sector.
The programme targets women who depend on traditional cooking fuels, including firewood, charcoal and kerosene, as well as those engaged in small-scale food businesses and other income-generating activities.
According to CTIH, stakeholder engagements conducted in Kano identified women as key actors in household and commercial cooking, while also highlighting the need to improve access to cleaner, safer and more affordable cooking solutions.
The initiative is designed to demonstrate that clean cooking goes beyond addressing health and environmental concerns, with the sector also offering opportunities for livelihood development, entrepreneurship and income generation.
The 300 beneficiaries are receiving practical training on clean cooking technologies and their benefits, entrepreneurship and business opportunities, briquette production and local value chains, access to finance and business planning.
They are also being trained on the use and maintenance of clean cookstoves and given opportunities to interact directly with clean cooking technology providers to learn about available products and services.
Speaking ahead of the workshop, Daramfon Bassey, Head of Energy Access at Clean Technology Hub, said the programme was aimed at enabling women to become active participants in the emerging clean cooking economy.
Bassey said this would be achieved by combining entrepreneurship training with practical knowledge of clean cooking technologies and fuel solutions.
The initiative is expected to contribute to improved household health, reduced dependence on polluting cooking fuels, increased economic opportunities for women and stronger local clean cooking value chains.
The workshop forms part of broader efforts under the GIZ Clean Cooking Scale-Up Project to strengthen the clean cooking ecosystem and promote sustainable adoption of clean cooking solutions in Kano and Enugu states.
The project is being implemented by Clean Tech Innovation Hub with German cooperation and co-funding from the European Union, alongside relevant Nigerian government institutions.
The organisers said the workshop would conclude with practical discussions on the participants’ next steps and opportunities for continued engagement within the clean cooking ecosystem.
They added that the training would help the 300 women translate the knowledge and skills acquired into sustainable livelihood and business opportunities, while supporting the wider transition towards cleaner cooking solutions.