Mr Ebenezer Akarah, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Bricks to Crib Company, has said Nigeria’s untapped charcoal industry holds potential to lift many citizens out of poverty and boost the economy.
Akarah stated this in Abuja during an interview on Wednesday, noting that charcoal powers other economies and Nigeria must embrace its opportunities.
According to him, the global charcoal industry is valued at 2 billion US dollars but remains neglected in Nigeria’s economic policies.
*“When the Federal Government announced at the 2025 Forest Economy Summit its plan to unlock 2 billion dollars from Nigeria’s forest economy, it sounded like real progress.
“While advocating a sustainable forest economy, the government should avoid restricting charcoal exports, a forest product with huge export potential. Doing so is like finding treasure but blocking the path to it.
“We can’t talk about ‘trees into trillions’ while sidelining the very product tied most directly to them. The untapped charcoal industry in Nigeria holds the key to lifting many Nigerians out of poverty and powering the economy. There is need to explore this economy to transform the country for good,”* he said.
Akarah recalled that the federal government lifted the charcoal export ban in mid-2023, though the repeal was conditional. He explained that a Nigeria Customs Service circular required all exports to carry approval letters from the Ministry of Finance and identification from forest officers at ports.
He warned that Nigeria risks another full ban if it fails to meet the European Union’s December 2025 deadline for non-deforestation sourcing.
*“Charcoal though often controversial is more than fuel. It is a biofuel, an export asset, and a source of livelihood for rural communities.
“In a nation battling climate change, there’s a clear paradox; our forests are shrinking, yet charcoal remains invisible in national policy.
“By refusing to classify it as a formal commodity, Nigeria is missing the chance to regulate its production, establish export frameworks, and set price benchmarks,”* he said.
Akarah stressed that continuing without regulation would worsen forest loss caused by decades of unsustainable practices.
*“We must therefore move from damage control to sustainability and this requires supporting afforestation, reforestation, and policies that recognise forest-based livelihoods rather than erase them.
“Ignoring these systems means losing more than trees; we may lose communities, culture, and people. The shift we need is to see forest products like charcoal not as threats but as assets managed responsibly, regulated wisely, and integrated into a greener economy that serves everyone, especially the next generation,”* he said.
Citing global examples, Akarah noted that Namibia, with only 3 million people and a semi-arid landscape, exported 270,000 tonnes of charcoal worth 80.5 million dollars in 2023. By contrast, Nigeria exported only 443 tonnes in the same year, valued at just 119,470 dollars.
“Charcoal is more than just fuel; it is revenue, jobs, and foreign exchange. As the world shifts toward sustainable biomass, the answer isn’t restriction but smart regulation. Nigeria has the potential to lead, but only if we build a smarter and sustainable policy,” he added.
(NAN)