Improved Cookstove Programme - Nigeria - VPA 48

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard improved cookstove project in Nigeria with VVB-confirmed additionality and no reversal events, but undermined by a project-specific baseline, absence of a buffer pool, a 0% leakage deduction, and a large volume of material findings and corrective actions (29 combined) that signal ongoing documentation and parameter-stability issues. The VVB's verification of exactly the claimed 116,093 tCO₂e for the 2024 monitoring period is reassuring, yet the monitoring report's own figure of 302,731 and the permanent fNRB reduction from 0.91 to 0.38 raise questions about the robustness of the original ex-ante estimates.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Monitoring report (Oct 2025) claims 302,731 tCO₂e while the VVB verification report (Jan 2026) verifies only 116,093 tCO₂e — a 62% reduction that is not fully explained in the extracted record.
• ⚠Permanent parameter changes approved mid-crediting-period (fNRB 0.91→0.38, charcoal-to-wood CF 6→4, baseline thermal efficiency 0.15→0.20) indicate the original PDD assumptions were materially inaccurate.
• ⚠14 corrective actions remain open, including a Forward Action Request for physical inspection of Kaduna and Kano regions that has not yet been completed due to security concerns.
• ⚠Usage rate for Technology Strata 2, Age 1-2 is only 22.5% based on a limited sample, raising representativeness concerns for that cohort.

Credit Vintages