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Bakassi is a sprawling camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, Borno State. Originally planned as a ministerial village for government officials before the insurgency, hundreds of half-built red-roofed houses are now home to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs). The camp symbolizes the chaos caused by the crisis and how people are adapting after nine years of war waged by armed fighters.
In IDP camps such as Bakassi and across northeastern Nigeria, the demand for fuel and energy for cooking and other household activities is high. However, with many IDPs unemployed or working in precarious manual labour, few can regularly afford the average daily cost of 100-150 naira (0.27-0.40 USD) for firewood, the main source of fuel. In practice, families end up selling part of their food aid to cover household expenses.
To help families in dire need of sustainable fuel and energy, FAO has been distributing energy-efficient stoves in Borno State, which has the largest number of internally displaced people. Since May, FAO has distributed around 5,000 stoves to families in 10 locations (one per household), with plans to distribute another 6,000 stoves by the end of the year, reaching an estimated 11,000 families in 2018.
Cooking on traditional stoves is cumbersome. It can even be dangerous, said Malema Abubakar, a resident of Bakassi refugee camp: “We are glad to have gotten rid of Murphy”, she said, referring to the Hausa (local language) term for cooking with heavy firewood supported by three or more large stones.
“This disease makes many of us women feel uncomfortable, especially in the breasts and eyes,” she said, pointing to her lungs.
Malama, who lived in Monguno, Borno state, before the insurgency, and worked as a roadside food vendor, knows firsthand the effects of long-term exposure to smoke. “The smoke affects our babies too because we sometimes take care of them while we cook. When we breastfeed, the smoke gets into their eyes and mouths.”
According to Nigeria’s Ministry of Health, respiratory diseases caused by smoke inhalation are the third leading cause of death in the country.
What was the first dish Mallama cooked on his new stove?
Nigerians’ favourite dish is jollof, a rice and meat dish that happens to be the focus of a friendly rivalry between the West African nations of Ghana and Nigeria. “On this stove, my jollof cooks faster and tastes sweeter,” she added.
Protecting women and girls from gender-based violence
The stoves require 65 percent less firewood than traditional cooking methods and produce significantly less smoke. FAO’s distribution of the stoves is funded by the Government of Norway as part of the global Secure Access to Fuel and Energy programme.
Finding firewood for traditional cooking can also be dangerous. “When we go to the bush to find firewood, security agents try to stop us,” said Awah Ahmed, a resident of Bakassi. “When you go into the bush, you are vulnerable to attacks by Boko Haram. They will take your money, rape or kill you. So we are afraid to go to the bush to find firewood.”
In much of northeastern Nigeria, firewood collection is a gender-specific activity, often undertaken by women and girls. By extending the life of firewood, the stoves will reduce the need for these groups to search for fuel and energy in unsafe and insecure locations, thereby reducing the risk of gender-based violence they face outside the camps.
Made in Borno
“We hope to produce the stoves locally to increase the income-generating potential of talented local artisans in Borno State, while also meeting the urgent fuel and energy needs of at-risk households,” said Sufyan Koroma, FAO Representative in Nigeria.
The organization has established three production centres in Maiduguri Metropolitan Centre, Jere and Konduga Local Government Areas of Borno State. Artisans were trained to make the stoves, which are made from clay from the state and clad in metal for durability.
Greater use of these energy-efficient stoves will also help reduce reliance on forest fuels. In Borno State, deforestation poses a major threat to the sustainability of natural resources and the long-term food security of households that rely on forest areas for food and income.
FAO is working closely with the Borno State Ministry of Environment and the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development to implement its activities.
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