FuelTree Limited has entered into a strategic partnership with the Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN) to expand access to clean cooking energy across Nigeria’s agricultural communities, targeting 100,000 rural and peri-urban farming households.
The collaboration, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), is designed to deploy FuelTree’s Virtual Cylinder Recirculation Model (vCRM) within farming clusters nationwide, using FACAN’s extensive network of commodity associations, cooperatives and producers to drive adoption at scale.
The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s national clean energy and climate frameworks, including the Climate Change Act, the Decade of Gas initiative, the Energy Transition Plan, the National Clean Cooking Policy, and the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It is also positioned to support climate action while strengthening rural livelihoods and productivity.
Under the programme, participating households will gain access to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through an affordable, technology-driven distribution system designed to improve last-mile delivery, traceability and sustained usage. The vCRM model integrates smart tracking tools, digital payment platforms and embedded financing options such as Buy-Now-Pay-Later arrangements and microcredit facilities tailored to the needs of farming households.
FACAN, which operates as the apex coordinating body for agricultural commodity associations under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, will leverage its nationwide structure to facilitate enrolment and implementation across multiple value chains.
Speaking on the partnership, FuelTree Director, Dr Bekeme Olowola, said the initiative goes beyond energy access to address critical health, economic and environmental challenges in rural Nigeria. She noted that clean cooking solutions can significantly reduce household air pollution, which is linked to over 120,000 deaths annually, while improving productivity and household resilience.
According to her, embedding clean energy solutions within existing cooperative and payment structures is key to ensuring long-term, scalable adoption rather than one-off interventions.
