United Nations Facilitates Multi-million Naira Biogas To Address Energy Gap In Nigeria.

By Ferdinand Olise

The United Nations, UN Women Office says the Nigerian Ministry of Women Affairs has pledged to allocate over 300 million naira of government resources to a low-cost biogas project designed to address energy, poverty, and socio-economic challenges confronting women in rural communities.

According to a statement by the UN Women in Abuja on Thursday, this initiative will be implemented in collaboration with the UN Women Nigeria Country Office, noting that the low-cost biogas innovation is capable of producing flammable gas from animal dung and crop residues.

The agency also said that this has become a superior alternative to traditional sources of cooking fuel, such as firewood, emphasising that its affordability, economic, health, and environmental advantages underscores its viability, and sustainability.

The UN agency further stated that the necessary equipment for this initiative will be provided to women, and that animal dung, widely available in most rural communities, will be procured at minimal or no cost.

The UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyongh, said the innovative project not only presents an avenue for women to generate income, but also addresses crucial issues such as, health risks linked to firewood, curbing deforestation, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change.

She said this will enhance women’s security, create a clean cooking environment, and improve agricultural yields by utilizing the nutrient-rich bye-product of biogas installation as organic manure for crop production