15th February, 2022
By Constance Imasuen
The Minister of Power, Mr Abubakar Aliyu has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to ensure that Nigerians have an effective power supply through renewable energy.
Mrs Margaret Oyinboade, Senior Information Officer, Ministry of Power, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
She quoted the minister as saying this during a meeting with GIZ Country Director, Ina Hommers, and her team, led by German Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Martin Huth, in his office.
Aliyu said that the ministry’s collaboration with GIZ under Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), had remotely mapped over 3,937 settlements, 3,244,605 buildings and 60,183 Kilometers (KM) of 11 and 33 Kilo Volt (kV) medium voltage line of the grid in 28 states.
“This data when concluded will provide information for electrification and planning, least cost, electricity access and decision making for would-be investors,” he said.
According to Aliyu, the six Solar PV mini-grid, developed under NESP 1, was providing sustainable electricity to more than 15,000 people as of 2020, and 100,000 additional people would be reached under NESP II through the Mini-grid Acceleration Scheme (MAS).
While congratulating the newly-elected government in Germany, Aliyu said that the collaboration between G.I.Z and Nigeria supports skill development in the sector with seven vocational training, targeting an increase of women in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency industry.
He informed the meeting that under the Inter-connected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (IMAS) of NESP II, Rural Electrification materials valued at 9 million euros would be handed over to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) on February 14.
Speaking earlier, the German Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria, Martin Huth, commended the efforts of the Federal Government in the power sector.
He also affirmed the German government’s commitment to continue supporting the Ministry of Power.
Huth said they were in the ministry of power to introduce the need for an energy transition which he tagged as the future of the energy industry,
He said that the Nigerian–German Hydrogen office has been created in Nigeria to support the country access to the potential of Green Hydrogen in her energy transition efforts and her export diversification intention.
“This is also to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to tap into the potential in the future,” he said.
He also conveyed an invitation to the minister to attend a conference on energy transition dialogue in Germany, slated for the end of March.
NAN