Greenplinth Africa and Benue State have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) aimed at deepening the State’s commitment towards unlocking climate finance and carbon investments.
The project is a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Global Climate Action Portal (GCAP) registered initiative and is designed to distribute highly efficient improved cookstoves for free to women, low-income earners, poor families and households across Benue State.
As part of the agreement, Greenplinth will distribute two million clean cookstoves, and also pay N10,000 each month to beneficiary households, who will also enjoy a free health insurance cover with NHIS enrollment.
“So, all the states we’ve been going through, they’ll be the first states who are going to benefit from carbon credits,” Babatunde Aina, Deputy Managing Director and the Chief Finance Officer, GreenPlinth Africa, said during the 3-day conference on carbon financing.
The Green Conference, themed, ‘Decarbonising Africa: Pathway to Climate Finance, Sustainable Growth and Green Economy,’ held in Lagos between Tuesday March 3 and Thursday March 5, 2026.
The initiative is expected to help improve indoor air quality, reduce respiratory illnesses, and contribute to mitigating climate change through lower carbon emissions.
The agreement also includes the planting and nurturing of 100 million economic trees across the three Senatorial Districts in Benue State, and to create green jobs for the youth, and empower women economically through skills acquisition and the provision of annual stipend.
According to Aina, GreenPlinth will roll out its clean stoking stove initiative with two million clean cook stoves distribution in Benue State.
“They’ll be the first states we’re going to roll out fully from. We’re going to give each, give them two million clean cook stoves.
“As I said, every individual that gets a clean cook stove in Benue State will get N10,000 every month. Every individual in Benue State that gets a clean cook stove will get two stoves, two pots, stainless steel pots. More importantly, they get 40 kilograms of farm waste briquettes”, Aina noted.
According to Aina, the initiative is geared towards reversing the decades-long neglect suffered by the people of Benue. “Women, unfortunately, are the ones who are at the forefront of this,” he said.
Daniel Mailumo, Director General, Benue State Council on Climate Change, said the MoA is a landmark agreement between both parties.
According to him, the partnership with Greenplinth Africa will help Benue State’s drive towards net zero emissions.
“And that deployment of clean cookstoves to Benue will mean that our rural women will no longer be using firewood for cooking, but will be using clean cookstoves that have no or low emissions,” Mailumo said.
James Adenuga, group head, HSSE & Sustainability, Dangote Group, said the private sector participation in decarbonising Africa is very pivotal because of its faster decision making process and demonstrated commitment against the bureaucratic processes of the government.
According to him, there is a need for private sector collaboration to create a stronger voice in mitigating climate change related challenges.
He added that the private sector can better leverage the government’s policy direction with a stronger voice.
