CSR-in-Action has entered into a strategic partnership with FuelTree, working alongside Climate Credit Network Africa (CCNA) and SME Funds, to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to clean cooking and strengthen the quality and scale of carbon markets. The collaboration brings together more than a decade of technical expertise, community engagement and climate-finance innovation, creating a platform capable of addressing some of Nigeria’s most entrenched energy and environmental challenges.
Nigeria continues to face a significant clean-cooking gap, with more than 70 per cent of households still relying on firewood, charcoal or kerosene. This dependence fuels deforestation, worsens energy poverty and exposes families, particularly women and children, to harmful indoor air pollution responsible for over 95,000 deaths annually. At the same time, the country loses economic and climate value through persistent gas flaring, despite having one of the largest clean-cooking markets and carbon-credit potentials in Africa. These issues underline the urgent need for solutions that combine access, affordability and data integrity.
FuelTree was established to address this intersection of social need and climate opportunity. Built on the heritage of CCNA, SME Funds and CSR-in-Action, the initiative draws from a strong foundation of impact: CCNA’s track record of mobilising more than USD 121 million in climate finance; SME Funds’ distribution of over one million clean cookstoves and its pioneering biofuel innovations; and CSR-in-Action’s leadership in ESG advisory, stakeholder engagement, assurance services and sustainability policy development. Together, these strengths form the backbone of FuelTree’s ability to scale responsibly and credibly.
At the core of FuelTree’s approach is the Virtual Cylinder Recirculation Model (vCRM), a technology-enabled system developed to restructure Nigeria’s fragmented LPG market. By shifting from individual cylinder ownership to a pooled virtual model, the vCRM removes the high upfront cost that prevents many households from transitioning to cleaner fuel. The system integrates real-time consumption tracking, transparent cylinder recirculation and data-driven Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV), creating a distribution network that is safer, more predictable and more inclusive. It also enables verifiable carbon-credit generation under globally recognised standards, strengthening investor confidence and positioning Nigeria for credible participation in the global carbon economy.
FuelTree’s pilot programme will reach 100,000 households in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, with a planned scale-up to one million households within two years. Beyond domestic energy access, the model is expected to unlock significant climate benefits. Projections indicate the potential to reduce more than ten million tonnes of CO₂e by 2035 and to generate 50,000 to 100,000 carbon credits annually during the pilot alone. These credits offer both financial value and an opportunity for governments, corporates and communities to invest in wider decarbonisation and social-impact initiatives.
The partnership also aims to address long-standing social and economic challenges within the energy ecosystem. Improved access to LPG has direct implications for gender equity, public health, household productivity and safety. As the network expands, the model is expected to create thousands of jobs for vendors, logistics partners and energy entrepreneurs, while strengthening local economies and supporting national policy goals, including the Carbon Market Activation Policy (2025) and broader climate-transition commitments.
CSR-in-Action’s role within the partnership centres on strengthening integrity and ensuring long-term impact. The organisation will provide advisory support on ESG compliance, impact reporting, stakeholder engagement and policy alignment, as well as assurance and independent verification to ensure that every stage of implementation remains credible and transparent. Through its communication and advocacy platforms, CSR-in-Action will also support public awareness and community engagement, helping households understand the economic and health benefits of transitioning to cleaner fuels.
This partnership reflects a shared belief that clean energy access and climate action must be designed for the realities of African households and communities. FuelTree’s vision—to make cooking fuel and essential food items as easy to purchase as airtime or electricity—offers a practical pathway to achieving this. By combining technology, climate finance and decades of community experience, CSR-in-Action, FuelTree, CCNA and SME Funds have created a model capable of delivering measurable environmental value, social impact and economic opportunity at scale.