Ewa Eleri Reports 120,000 Deaths from Air Pollution

Ewa Eleri, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cooking and Chief Executive Officer of the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development, stated that nearly 120,000 Nigerians die each year due to household air pollution. He made this announcement at the Nigeria Clean Cooking Forum 2026, held from October 28 to 29 at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

Eleri highlighted that the rising prices of cooking gas have forced many households to revert to using firewood and charcoal, which exacerbates health risks and deforestation. He emphasized the need for increased investment in carbon finance to make clean cooking solutions more affordable for low-income families.

Eleri criticized the government's reluctance to introduce subsidies for cooking fuels, suggesting that carbon finance could help bridge the affordability gap. Suraj Wahab, Founder and CEO of Toyola Energy Group, noted that affordability and accessibility are significant barriers to clean cooking adoption and mentioned flexible payment arrangements for improved cookstoves.