By Faridat Salifu
Nigeria exported N65.85 billion worth of firewood, charcoal, and related biomass energy products in the first quarter of 2025, raising alarms among environmental experts about the country’s accelerating deforestation and climate vulnerability.
According to the Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics report by the National Bureau of Statistics, over 99% of the exports were bound for African countries, with ECOWAS members accounting for N49.15 billion. Benin Republic alone received N29.83 billion worth of Nigerian biomass energy, followed by Togo with N19.32 billion.
The surge in exports comes amid a worsening deforestation crisis that experts warn could undermine Nigeria’s ability to adapt to climate change.
Biomass energy classified by the NBS as “fuel woods in logs (e.g., hardwood), charcoal, and coniferous wood in chips or particles”remains a key fuel source for many West African countries, where alternative energy options are either too expensive or unreliable.
But while the trade provides short-term economic benefits and foreign exchange earnings, environmental advocates say the long-term costs are mounting. “What we are seeing is an export of energy at the expense of ecosystems,” said Dr. Moses Ama, Director of Forestry at the Federal Ministry of Environment. “This trajectory is unsustainable and threatens our natural resilience.”
The consequences of this trend are already evident. Forest reserves across Nigeria are shrinking rapidly.
Land degradation, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss are becoming widespread, while forest-dependent rural communities face declining access to critical resources.
Internationally, Nigeria’s energy wood was also exported to Asia (N94.8 million) and Europe (N102.21 million), indicating growing demand beyond the continent.
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Yet imports of similar goods into Nigeria stood at only N45.77 million during the same period, reinforcing the country’s role as a net supplier of raw biomass fuel without adequate reforestation or sustainable land management.
Experts point to domestic energy insecurity as part of the problem. The rising cost of cooking gas and the unreliability of grid electricity are pushing more households to revert to charcoal and firewood for cooking.
Markets in Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna and Niger states report booming sales of charcoal, even as forests continue to be cleared to meet demand.
Climate analyst Nurudden Bello says the Federal Government must prioritise energy subsidies and environmental regulation. “Gas and kerosene should be made affordable.
Otherwise, we will keep losing forests and worsening emissions under the guise of energy poverty,” he said.
He also called for large-scale distribution of fuel-efficient cooking stoves and stricter controls on commercial charcoal production to limit damage to Nigeria’s forests.
Without a coherent national wood energy policy, Nigeria risks compounding its climate adaptation challenges and undermining efforts to meet international climate commitments.
Stakeholders at a recent workshop on forest reserves, co-hosted by the Ministry of Environment and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, warned that the scale of biodiversity loss in the country reflects a global crisis. They called for immediate, nature-based solutions and a halt to unsustainable land-use practices.
As biomass continues to fuel regional economies, experts stress that Nigeria must not trade away its environmental future. Without urgent policy action, the country could face both ecological collapse and escalating climate insecurity.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics (Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics, Q1 2025)
