Bukola Sunday Odediran (Nigeria)
GrantsDatabase is proud to recognise Bukola Sunday Odediran from Nigeria as the February 2026 Young Changemaker of the Month, honouring his exceptional leadership in advancing clean energy access, environmental sustainability, and inclusive livelihoods through community-anchored, evidence-driven solutions.
Bukola’s work represents a powerful convergence of research excellence, policy relevance, and grassroots implementation, demonstrating how locally grounded innovation can drive meaningful systems change.
About the Changemaker
Bukola Sunday Odediran is a clean energy and sustainability practitioner whose work sits at the intersection of climate action, circular economy, and community development. His approach is deeply rooted in long-term research and sustained engagement with rural communities, particularly across northern Nigeria.
Through his work, Bukola is helping to reimagine how clean cooking, waste management, and livelihood creation can be delivered in ways that are environmentally sound, socially just, and economically empowering.
The Problem Being Addressed
Nigeria faces a persistent energy–climate challenge, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. Over 60% of households depend on firewood and charcoal for cooking due to the high cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). This reliance has led to:
- Significant deforestation, with hundreds of thousands of hectares lost annually
- High levels of indoor air pollution and associated premature deaths
- Increased greenhouse gas emissions
- Disproportionate impacts on women, young people, and low-income households
At the same time, large volumes of agricultural residues—such as rice husks, maize cobs, and groundnut shells—are generated each year and left underutilised or openly burned, contributing further to environmental degradation.
The Solution: Integrated Biomass Briquette Value-Chain Development (IBB-VCD)
The Integrated Biomass Briquette Value-Chain Development (IBB-VCD) project is Bukola’s flagship initiative, designed as a community-anchored, waste-to-wealth clean energy solution.
IBB-VCD converts locally available agricultural residues into high-efficiency, environmentally friendly biomass briquettes for clean cooking. The project is distinguished by its evidence-driven design and socially anchored value-chain model, which includes:
- GIS-based mapping to identify high-density biomass clusters and ensure reliable feedstock supply
- Technically optimised production using semi-automated screw presses
- Laboratory-verified calorific performance significantly higher than traditional firewood
- An Indigenous Knowledge (IK) Co-Production framework that formalises communal labour-sharing norms into governance structures
- Intentional inclusion of women (60%) and youth (40%) as producers, entrepreneurs, and leaders
Beyond clean energy provision, IBB-VCD delivers tangible community benefits, including reduced indoor air pollution, improved environmental sanitation, lower household energy costs, and dignified income generation.
Changemaker Story (In His Own Words)
My Changemaker Story
My journey into clean energy, environmental sustainability and inclusive livelihoods is rooted in, sustained research and long-term community engagement. Growing up in Nigeria, I witnessed firsthand how energy poverty, poor waste management and environmental degradation intersect to deepen inequality particularly for rural households, women and young people. These early experiences shaped my academic path and professional practice and ultimately my commitment to developing solutions that are locally grounded yet scalable.
Over the years, my work at the intersection of climate action, circular economy and community development has been recognised through several national and international awards, as well as innovation and climate challenges. Alongside this, I have contributed to the sustainability discourse through peer-reviewed publications and policy-oriented research on biomass energy, climate resilience, circular economy transitions and just energy pathways. I have also presented my work at international and regional conferences across Africa and beyond, engaging with scholars, policymakers and practitioners on issues of clean energy transition, climate governance and inclusive development. These platforms have strengthened my ability to translate local realities into globally relevant insights.
I am currently pursuing a PhD in Sustainable Environmental Studies, with research focused on translating global climate governance frameworks into low-carbon and just energy transition pathways within fossil-fuel–dependent economies such as Nigeria. My doctoral research directly informs my field initiatives, ensuring that interventions like IBB-VCD are evidence-based, policy-relevant and aligned with international sustainability and climate commitments.
The IBB-VCD (Integrated Biomass Briquette Value Chain Development) project emerged from years of research, fieldwork and engagement with communities across northern Nigeria. In many of these communities, I encountered a paradox: abundant agricultural residues and indigenous knowledge systems existing alongside dependence on expensive, unhealthy and environmentally damaging household fuels. At the same time, youth unemployment, gendered economic exclusion and unmanaged biomass waste posed persistent socio-economic and environmental challenges.
Rather than approaching these issues in isolation, I designed IBB-VCD as a community-anchored, waste-to-wealth clean energy solution. The project converts locally available biomass into affordable briquette fuel while creating inclusive livelihood opportunities across the value chain. Women and youth are intentionally positioned not merely as beneficiaries, but as producers, entrepreneurs, and custodians of local knowledge.
What continues to motivate me is the tangible transformation at the household and community level, reduced indoor air pollution, lower energy costs, improved environmental sanitation and dignified income generation. Equally important is affirming indigenous innovation and community agency as essential pillars of Africa’s just energy transition.
My long-term vision is to support the scaling of community-led clean energy systems that are environmentally sound, socially just, and economically empowering by bridging research, policy, and grassroots action. Through initiatives like IBB-VCD, I hope to contribute to a future where sustainability is not an abstract concept, but a lived reality owned by communities themselves.
Why Bukola Was Selected as February’s Young Changemaker
Bukola Sunday Odediran was selected as the February 2026 Young Changemaker of the Month for his:
- Community-led approach to clean energy and climate resilience
- Strong integration of research, policy, and practical implementation
- Commitment to gender equity, youth empowerment, and indigenous knowledge systems
- Demonstrated environmental, health, and livelihood impacts
His work exemplifies the GrantsDatabase vision of changemakers who design solutions that are inclusive, scalable, and deeply rooted in local realities.
Join Us in Celebrating This Changemaker
We are honoured to spotlight Bukola’s work and look forward to supporting the continued growth and visibility of his impact through the GrantsDatabase platform.
