Assessment of charcoal as energy source for cooking among households in Zaria local government area, Kaduna state

Abstract

Access to affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable cooking energy remains a major challenge in Nige ria. despite national efforts to expand access to electricity and promote cleaner fuels. This study was conducted to assess the utilization, and factors influencing the use of charcoal as a cooking energy source among households in Zaria. A total of 150 structured questionnaires were administered across five wards to gather data on demograph ic characteristics of, charcoal use and associated challenges. The results revealed that 60% of respondents use charcoal as their primary or supplementary cooking fuel, citing affordability, ease of access, and cultural familiari ty as key reasons. Chi-square analysis revealed a statistically significant association between monthly income and charcoal use (P ≤ 0.005), affirming that lower-income households are more likely to rely on charcoal, Logistic re gression further highlighted that male-headed households were significantly less likely to use charcoal than fe male-headed ones Odd Ratio (OR = 0.45; p = 0.029), indicating gender linked disparities in energy vulnerability. Additionally, households earning above ₦60,000 were 4.67 times more likely to use charcoal than those earning below ₦30,000 (p = 0.001), a finding that may reflect the transitional use of cleaner charcoal forms over firewood. Despite charcoal’s benefits such as reduced smoke and convenience, respondents also cited health (30%) and en vironmental concerns (16.7%) as drawbacks. Charcoal remains a dominant cooking fuel among lower-income households in Zaria due to economic constraints and infrastructure limitations. Targeted interventions such as Liquefied petroleum gas subsidies, promotion of improved cook stoves, awareness campaigns, and sustainable charcoal production policies, will be essential for achieving Nigeria’s clean energy transition goals and reducing health and environmental burdens associated with traditional biomass use.