FG: Nigeria Will Define Own Terms on Energy Transition
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr Gabriel Aduda has stated that in the drive towards energy transition, Nigeria and the entire Africa should define their own terms of participation.
Aduda made the call in Abuja at the just-concluded Nigerians Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, according to a statement from the Director of Information in the ministry, Enefaa Bob-Manuel.
The permanent secretary who delivered the ministerial address spoke on: “Plans and Priorities for Nigeria’s Energy Mix”. He noted that the renewable energy alternative options also come with inherent challenges, including the cost implication.
Aduda posited that blaming climate change as a rationale for reducing investments that will take the continent out of energy poverty was not fair as to the continent.
While arguing that Africa barely contributes any significant percentage to the global emission crisis, he added that the continent’s access to energy is tied to the optimisation of its resources such as gas.
Speaking further, Aduda said that the conversation around energy transition away from carbon fuels as canvassed by leading western economies does not support Africa’s economic development and prosperity.
He however stated that investments in infrastructure, technology and capacity building are ways by which Nigeria can achieve a sustainable energy transition, reap the benefits of energy transition and compete favourably with the rest of the world.
He told the gathering that the federal government on its part was building policies around the gas path and creating other incentives for the sector, citing the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) N250 billion intervention fund in the oil and gas sector as an example of that commitment.
He also listed the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund established by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) 614km-long natural gas pipeline as critical to realising the gas production objective.
