The Enugu State Government has announced it is targeting the training and empowerment of 1,000 youths in the fabrication of innovative green energy and safe cooking stoves.

The stove, also known as the Enugu Stove, is said to be designed 100 per cent with local content and uses smokeless-cum-odourless coal briquettes to produce sustained heat for cooking.

The state’s Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Lawrence Eze, disclosed this in Enugu on Thursday.

Mr Eze said that the training would be done in collaboration with the Scientific Equipment Development Institute to maintain the original design and standard of the green energy stove.

The commissioner clarified that the training would be done in 2026 after the first initial 150,000-unit production of the stove, while those to be trained would be empowered with start-up packs at the end.

He said that his ministry would create a special purpose vehicle or a commercial arm to oversee the collaboration with SEDI and the four coal briquette-producing factories in each senatorial zone. According to him, with the innovative green energy and safe stove, the ministry will be turned into a revenue-generating ministry, and a legacy he intends to leave behind.

He said, “The stove and other laudable initiatives by His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah, are meant to uplift the economic and living standard of our people in meeting the target of increasing the state’s GDP from $4.4 billion to $30 billion. We are branding it ‘Made in Enugu’ in order to project the Enugu brand just as we have Enugu Air, Enugu Rice and other Enugu brands to come. The branding will set out our state’s products/programmes and their quality and uniqueness different from others anywhere they are found in the country, Africa and worldwide. The Enugu Stove is an innovative green energy and safe cooking stove meant to secure Nigeria and Africa from deforestation and ecology losses due to the felling of trees for firewood and air pollution while producing charcoal.’’

Mr Eze said that the stove would eliminate the frustration of having cooking disrupted due to running out of gas or kerosene.

The commissioner said that with the stove coming on stream, the state government would intensify its campaign against cutting and felling of trees and production of charcoal in the state.

He added, “Within years, due to the better safety, economic and environmental benefits of the stove, most residents in the country will stop using other alternatives for cooking.’’