Solar powered water in Edo State In Amakpa community in Edo state, Solar panels have powered a borehole for the past four years. The experience has been without hitches, a win-win for the villagers as Adesesde Oghademegbe explains in this short video. Watch video
The Energy Giant of Africa? Nigeria’s renewable energy industry is tiny by all means, despite excellent conditions for electricity production from solar, small hydro and biomass sources. If Nigeria covered only 1% of its land mass with solar panels, it could produce 192,000 megawatts of power, compared to the 4,000 megawatts that are currently available on the national grid. In his contribution to the Green Deal Nigeria study, Huzi Mshelia describes the manifold efforts on energy policy and regulation, which have so far resulted in little results. By Huzi Ishaku Mshelia
Imagine… clean energy for all Nigerians 159 words to inspire you to think beyond oil… How would Nigeria look like once it has decided to go green on energy?
Action Points for Agriculture Governments at local and state level need to map agricultural potentials of their areas and offer farmers advice based on research from national and international agencies. Irrigation powered by renewable energy can reduce unemployment, hunger and poverty in the most remote areas. Capital budgets at state level should be spent on irrigation systems based on renewable energies. Desertification can be contained with Re-Greening techniques. Government, farming and civil society representatives should visit Niger to learn from their experience of re-greening even barren land.
Action Points What should be done? The National Planning Commission should do a climate review of Vision 20:2020, and consult with Nigerians on a greener Vision 2030. Local governments need to start research on their clean energy potentials. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria needs to enforce regulation that stops the importation of sub-standard renewable energy technology. Our waste can be turned into cooking gas, or electricity. There is money to be made from 'rubbish'. Banks should understand the renewables industry and offer packages for young entrepreneurs at single digit interest rates. Unprofessional installation of solar and other systems make the systems fail. A large scale training and research programme is needed to prepare Nigeria for green growth. The money could come from the Crude Excess Account, from the Sovereign Wealth Fund or from the PTDF. see Clean Energy, Green Deal Nigeria study
Green jobs What would young Nigerians do if they had enough electricity…? They would work. A youth research commissioned by hbs Nigeria quotes a young man from Enugu, “If there is steady light in the country, that means there will be lots of competition in manufacturing of goods and so many products”. Nigeria’s 4,000 mega watt of power are under-serving the population massively, as electricity demand is expected to rise to 192,000 mega watt in the next twenty years. Tinyan Ogiehor is a solar entrepreneur in Abuja who went into his renewable energy business because he saw how crippling the constant power black-outs were for the IT industry. Watch Video
Gender & Climate Change Finance: Double Mainstreaming for Sustainable Development As women and men have different adaptive and mitigative capabilities, the financing instruments and mechanisms committed to climate change activities in mitigation and adaption need to take these gender-differentiated impacts into account in funds design and operationalization as well as concrete project financing. By Liane Schalatek