Greening Jigawa Bakery Business Jigawa State is losing over 300 trees a day for bakery activities alone: 1 tree is fired per bakery per day to bake the ubiquitous bread, which has become the staple food for many Nigerians on low incomes. With more efficient bakery ovens, this loss could be reduced by 80 per cent, and the bakers would save money on their fire wood as well. Renewable Energy entrepreneurs Hannah Kabir and Happy Amos have installed 3 such ovens in Jigawa State, as pilot cases. By Chibueze Ebii
Nigeria’s Energy Future Nigeria‘s population of about 170 million people share 4,000 Megawatt of electricity between them. That amounts to about 3 light bulbs per person. However, Nigeria sees itself as a future world economic power. So how is Nigeria going to power its envisaged economic growth? What is Nigeria’s energy future? This article is based on a lecture held at the Lagos Business School by Hans Verolme, international expert specialising on green development solutions, climate and energy. By Hans Verolme
Not All That Glitters: Nigeria's Bitumen Story. As conventional oil reserves decline, international oil companies are increasingly turning their attention towards unconventional oils such as bitumen to meet rising demand for petroleum products. Bitumen, a very heavy oil, can be removed from the oil sands and used in road construction or upgraded into synthetic crude oil. With an estimated 38 billion barrels of bitumen across Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, and Lagos states, Nigeria ranks 6th globally among countries with bitumen reserves. Armsfree Ajanaku has travelled to Ondo state communities situated along the bitumen belt of Nigeria to try and understand the people’s perception about the bitumen under their feet and their aspiration for development. He describes his experience in this article.
Not all energy sources are created equal All technologies have their own footprint. Renewable energy sources are generally cleaner, more sustainable and better for social development than fossil-fueled alternatives. As with any technology there are pros and cons to the use of renewables. Our report “Renewables on the Rise” clearly showed the benefits of renewable energy development. In this blog, author Hans Verolme looks at potential risks and problems associated with the large scale development of renewable energy technologies. By Hans Verolme
My City Safari – the Eko Atlantic City Story In an effort at expanding the space for discussions on sustainable urban development in Lagos with specific interest on how the new development in Eko Atlantic City can be made to live up to its description as a city of the future, architect and writer Ayodele Arigbabu has created a narrative located in a fictionalized version of the new city, using the experiences of a young girl visiting the city on holiday as an opportunity to learn about the challenges cities face and possible ways of making cities more livable. By AYODELE ARIGBABU
Action Points What needs to be done for Nigerians to reap the benefits of their wealth in oil and gas? 3 action points: Federal Government of Nigeria: Stop gas flaring now, and open the gas market to commercial ownership of exploration, pipeline transmission and distribution. Civil Society: Demand the creation of a new governance for the energy sector, integrating regulations for oil, gas and renewable energies in a Federal Energy Commission. You: Attend public hearings on the Petroleum Industry Bill and demand clarity on the proposed management system of the gas sector. Host communities should receive royalties from the gas explored on their lands and government should receive income from taxing the commercial gas operators. We do not need derivation arrangements. (more details in Green Deal Nigeria study).
A Green Deal for All Why does Nigeria have to become ‘green’? Many might say that Nigeria needs development of any kind whatsoever to raise people out of poverty and start industrial development. Lead author of the Green Deal Nigeria study, international climate expert Hans Verolme, explains the international context and argues that a Green Deal is not a luxury, but an immediate necessity. Read By Hans Verolme