Stage of Innovation: Prototype (You have a working physical product)

Problem: More than 80% of energy usage in Nigeria, according to REA, is on firewoods which immensely release harmful pollutants and contribute significantly to deforestation. This not only harms the environment, but also affects the health of people, especially women and children who have the sole responsibility of fetching the firewood from the bush, being exposed to indoor air pollutants (smokes) and getting attacked by dangerous animals like snakes on a daily basis. Moreover, these fuels can be expensive and time-consuming to obtain, reducing economic and social opportunities for these households. At greenium eco, we are trying to change this narrative by providing a cleaner and greener way of cooking.

Unique Selling Point: The world has already gone far in fight against global warming and climate change, unfortunately in Nigeria, specifically the north- where we are and we operate as well, most people don’t know about the climate change, not to talk of its causes, effects and preventive measures. Governments at all levels refuse to act and more than 95% of those working in this cause are in the southern part of the country. For the very few we have in the north, they are almost all men, and the culture doesn’t allow them to interact more with those directly affected-women, girls and children. As a team lead, climate enthusiast, young and passionate entrepreneur, a woman and a northerner, I believe I’m in a best position to act and use this time that the menance becomes so common and join the global trend in fight against climate and advocate for the adoption of sustainable environmental practices. Our solution is two-fold: 1) Clean cookstoves: We locally manufacture eco-friendly cookstoves which are more efficient, convenient, safer and emit zero pollutants with a flexible payment option. They reduce exposure to indoor air pollution and enable households to save time, money and energy. 2) Efficient Briquettes (Briqcoals): We produce high-quality briquettes made from agricultural wastes, such as rice husks, sugarcane husks e.t.c which are sustainable sources of fuel. Our briqcoals are clean-burning, produce less smoke and have a lower carbon footprint compared to fuelwoods.