Despite increased domestic production of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and over $500 million in private-sector investment, more than 20 million Nigerian households continue to rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking, a situation experts warn is fuelling deforestation and serious health risks.
Although about 1.5 million households have shifted from kerosene and other biomass fuels to LPG in the past decade, rising prices and limited access are forcing many families to abandon gas and return to charcoal. This reversal is occurring even as extreme weather conditions worsen across the country.
Industry figures show that LPG consumption has grown from about 250,000 metric tonnes in 2014 to roughly 1.5 million tonnes in 2024. However, Nigeria has fallen short of its ambitions, pushing its annual consumption target of five to six million tonnes to 2030. Per capita usage remains low at just seven kilogrammes per year, far below the global average.
Marketers estimate that at least 20 million households—mostly in rural and peri-urban communities—still depend on biomass due to poverty, weak infrastructure and a shortage of LPG retail outlets. The Federal Government says it plans to reverse this trend under the National Gas Expansion Programme, which includes distributing millions of LPG cylinders to vulnerable households between 2026 and 2030.
However, industry stakeholders warn that the initiative could fail unless affordability issues are addressed. LPG currently retails for between ₦950 and ₦1,500 per kilogramme, with a 12.5kg refill costing as much as ₦15,000. Cylinders themselves cost an average of ₦80,000—well above the national minimum wage—making the switch to LPG unattainable for many low-income families.
Manufacturers identify cylinder cost as the biggest obstacle, citing exchange-rate instability, high electricity tariffs and the rising cost of imported materials. As a result, many households that previously adopted LPG are reverting to charcoal and firewood.
Health and environmental concerns are mounting. Experts link household air pollution from biomass fuels to strokes and chronic illnesses, particularly among women and children. Continued reliance on firewood is also accelerating deforestation and undermining Nigeria’s climate commitments.
Despite major investments in storage facilities, transport vessels, trucks and retail outlets, industry players say key challenges remain, including a 600,000-tonne supply gap, poor rural distribution networks, ageing delivery fleets and inadequate filling infrastructure.
They are calling for coordinated interventions such as targeted subsidies, affordable cylinders, micro-distribution centres, stronger safety regulations and sustained public education. Safety risks persist as well, with over four million cylinders currently in circulation—nearly half of them beyond their recommended lifespan.
Although local production now supplies about 80 per cent of Nigeria’s LPG demand, marketers insist that awareness is not the issue. Without decisive and sustained policy support to reduce costs, they warn that millions of Nigerians will remain excluded from clean cooking solutions, with serious consequences for public health, forests and the environment.