Power Minister, Others Harp on Collaboration as Pathway to Meet Nigeria’s Growing Energy Needs

Peter Uzoho

The Minister of Power, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, and other stakeholders in Nigeria and international electricity sector have emphasised the need for efficient and positive collaboration among key players to enable the country meet its growing energy demand.

Speaking in Lagos yesterday, at the 2022 edition of the Nigeria Energy Exhibition and Conference, Aliyu said Nigeria’s economic development aspiration demands a higher energy capacity than what is presently available.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Mr. Temitope Fashedemi, the minister explained that the current unmet energy needs of the country were huge and bound to increase due to urbanisation and population expansion.

Stating that this makes it clear that access to energy was critical in advancing the country’s development agenda, he stressed that an enabling policy and investments in modern energy technologies was required.

“I believe that collaboration is critical to achieving our energy goals. The much-needed finance required for provision of energy access resides with the private sector.

“And the task of liberating the finance through the right policies, incentives, and establishment of the investment friendly environment is what the government is committed to achieving.

“As such, collaborations with the private sector and our development partners are essential in accelerating our efforts towards sustainable energy supply,” Aliyu said.

While commending the organisers of the conference for conceiving the idea from inception, he said the yearly event has become a veritable platform that brings together all stakeholders in the energy sector.

Aliyu observed that energy was conceptually one of the most important infrastructure requirements for human existence, because of its position as one of the most important components of economic development.

“This unique event provides us with not just the opportunities to engage with public and private sector players, but also allow us to share knowledge with international energy experts and investors with a view to developing new solutions,” the minister added.

Earlier in his remarks, the Exhibition Director, Nigeria Energy, Ade Yesufu, said over the next three days, participants would have the opportunity to network with top level providers and key stakeholders in the industry to discuss the kind of reliable power solutions that could be implemented to meet Nigeria’s growing demand.

He added that participants would also in the course of the programme brainstorm on how they could work together to pave the way for the decentralisation of the nation’s power sector.

“Alongside the exhibition, we have a three-day high level knowledge packed conference which will feature the most powerful panel discussions across building power capacity, financing power projects, increasing efficiency through new technologies and exploring renewable energy mix with special focus on green hydrogen,” Yesufu stated.