Interview with Ojo Olufisayo, GM, Atmosfair Climate & Sustainability Ltd
| Atmosfair Climate & Sustainability Limited is a leading firm in Nigeria’s clean cooking sector. In this interview, General Manager, Ojo E. Olufisayo, shares their activities in the clean cooking industry. |
| Give us a brief introduction to your organization. What are the objectives of your organization? Atmosfair Climate & Sustainability Limited (ACSL) is the Nigerian subsidiary of Atmosfair gGmbH a German non-profit organization that actively contributes to Carbon-dioxide (CO2) mitigation by promoting, developing, and financing renewable energies in over 15 countries worldwide. Atmosfair relies exclusively on voluntary climate protection contributions from private individuals and businesses. Aiming to decarbonize the Nigerian economy, Atmosfair Climate & Sustainability Limited designed its institutional tools and services to assist government and businesses alike in executing their climate policies, with a focus on carbon emission reduction. The work tenet of Atmosfair Climate & Sustainability Limited is based on the principle of only compensating for what cannot be avoided or reduced. This approach is the foundation of all partnerships and ensures both climate integrity and cost efficiency. The organization’s purpose is fulfilled through supporting projects that minimize Green House Gas (GHG) emissions (for example through efficient clean cook-stove technology, solar energy, biomass development, and energy-saving projects) and simultaneously promoting development as well as supporting education and raising awareness about the company purpose, especially through people-oriented programs (e.g. through seminars, workshops, campaigns, internet presence, etc). Our novel product in Nigeria is the Energy Efficient Save80 Clean Cookstove, which requires 80% less fuel wood for cooking compared to traditional stoves. It is made entirely of high-grade stainless steel, with a proven lifetime of over 10 years. Save80 efficient cookstove package comes with: Save80 Energy Efficient Clean Cook Stove, Aluminum Pot, and Wonder Box: What does your organization seek to achieve in Nigeria’s cooking energy market? Atmosfair seeks to decarbonize the Nigerian economy by distributing a sustainable and environmentally friendly cookstove to customers at the end of our value chain, and also to encourage our esteemed end users to habitually use Save80 efficient cookstove which burns with less energy (fuelwood) demand to cook for averagely large families at very little cost on fuelwood and by extension dynamically reducing deforestation. What are the opportunities in the business environment that have supported your organization’s involvement in the clean cookstove sector over the years? Most Nigerians are not aware of energy-efficient clean cooking technology as a viable replacement for fossil fuel-based cooking, thus they are unaware of the health and economic benefits of green cooking. Similarly, the vast population of people using firewood as cooking fuel in the rural and peri-urban communities, coupled with the recent high cost of kerosene and gas in the country has created an enormous market in these areas and this has been a source of the push we required to work harder in reaching out to the underprivileged in these communities.Job creation and the empowerment of women seem to be increasingly important. How has your organization helped to drive employment generation and the empowerment of women? Gender Equality is at the core of our business policy. We have many women working side-by-side with men in our factory and also in the field to promote our product. Moreso, our business strategy equally targets women that are in the business of selling foods, like food vendors, women frying akara, frying fish etc as one of our focus customers. Because putting Save80 stoves in their hands will reduce their cost on fuelwood and positively drive their profit, and significantly reduce their risks of smoke-related illnesses If you are asked to advise the federal government of Nigeria on policy options, what are the three most important things the government can do to expand the market?The federal government should enforce the law against deforestation in all states of the federation, and equally, do more to encourage and promote green energy adoption in our industries and businesses across the board. The government should also discourage the use of kerosene as a means of fuel for cooking to ensure that people in rural areas embrace the clean cooking practice. If an enabling environment is not created by the government, what future risks do you envisage? If the government does not establish an enabling environment for the industry to thrive, there will be an unprecedented rise in the rate of deforestation in the country, and no new business investments will be attracted to the sector. Where do you envisage your organization to be in the next 5 years? As awareness of the negative environmental effect of global warming is on the increase in society, our mission is to work with the federal government to reduce the fuelwood consumption rate in society, and also decrease the usage of fossil fuel-based cooking methods in rural households. Part of our goal is also to become the largest manufacturer of environmentally friendly clean cookstoves in Africa and command a larger chunk of the clean cooking market in Nigeria to minimize the carbon footprint while contributing to saving the environment. What risk does your organization currently face and what is your biggest challenge? Our major risk at the moment is the ever-rising cost of raw materials in the world market, coupled with the high cost of importation and custom duty which have a direct austere effect on our selling price that is presently maintained at just the cost of materials (with no profit) as Save80 is heavily subsidized by the atmosfair. Another critical challenge we are facing is the poor supply of electricity which is adding considerably to our cost of production. SOURCE: Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cooking |
