|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Workshop and Exhibition Abuja, 5 – 6 November 2007 |
|
Background Nigeria is experiencing a silent energy crisis. About 95 million people, representing 67% of the population depends on wood for their daily cooking. Wood energy constitutes nearly 40% of primary energy consumption and 90% of household energy use. Today the demand for wood far outstrips supply and result in rising prices. Despite a national policy to promote a transition away from wood energy use, the prospects remain bleak. Over 92% of Nigerians – approximately 130 million people live under poverty. Poverty presents a critical roadblock to fuel substitution.
Current pattern of household cooking imposes heavy costs on the poor. Kerosene prices have increased six-fold over the past eight years. Cooking and lighting fuels now accounts for almost a quarter of total expenditures for about 21.5 million households. Typically, household cooking demands an average 3.5 hours spent in collecting wood especially in rural areas. Total deaths attributable to the use of solid fuel in Nigeria is a staggering 79,000 annually. Nearly 4% of the national burden of disease is related to solid fuel use. With about 100 million m3 of wood consumed annually, Nigeria’s forests are under severe pressure. Cooking with wood in Nigeria is predominantly through the traditional open fire method. This results in about 90% of energy loss, long hours spent in wood collection and high costs for families dependent on the urban wood market. Despite the existence of few localized modifications with metallic, clay or bricks windshields, the woodstove market is too small and too weak. If current trends are allowed to continue, the energy crisis affecting the poor will undermine efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Initial efforts to spread the use of efficient woodstoves in Nigeria were poorly designed and had limited results. Barriers to the mass delivery of efficient wood stoves have included weak supply chains, strong wood cooking culture, lack of promotional information, poorly funded stove producers, inadequate quality control measures and unsupportive public policies. With the Renewable Energy Master Plan now in place, ICEED is initiating a partnership to launch a One Million Improved Woodstoves Project. The five-year partnership involves the private sector, government and development agencies. The project offers multiple returns that include poverty reduction, improved family health, environmental advantages and job creation. It will seek to address existing barriers to wood stove market development through business development services, access to finance, public awareness and quality control measures. Making this happen will require innovative thinking, new partnerships and the benefit of international best practices.
The workshop and exhibitionThe overall objective of the efficient woodstove workshop and exhibition is to generate ideas and build partnership in launching Nigeria’s first major efficient wood stove project. The workshop and exhibition has the following specific objectives: Who Should Attend? The workshop and exhibition is aimed at senior policymakers, potential manufacturers, distributors, retailers, financial institutions, foundations, donor agencies and non-governmental organizations.
Individual Registration Coporate Registration Tentative Agenda Session I: Opening Session II: International woodstove program experiences Session III: Nigerian baselines, policy and woodstove markets Session IV: Economic, social, health and environment impacts Session V: Design, dissemination and financing of stoves Session VI: Working Groups Session V: Report from workgroup session Session VI: Partnership roundtable |
 |