Green Economy

If taken as a country on its own, Lagos would be amongst the largest economies in Africa. It has been able to diversify its economy and to considerably reduce its dependence on oil allocations. But its potentials are still huge if it invested in skilled labour force, reduced its bureaucratic hurdles and adopted an inclusive development approach.

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.  

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.

The Good life Short film - Heinrich Böll Stiftung Abuja Office Watch on YouTube This external content requires your consent. Please note our privacy policy. THE GOOD LIFE is a musical movie that shows young Nigerians looking for solutions for jobs, careers and justice in their lives. Some of them create their own power solutions, some demand solutions from election candidates. They all know that Nigeria cannot develop without concrete plans for rising supplies in electricity. THE GOOD LIFE needs POWER.

A local government should be the closest government to the people but in Nigeria it only has minimal implementation power. This is the experience of the organization Community Conservation and Development Initiatives (CCDI). In their climate change training programmes and various initiatives aimed at building local adaptative capacity for climate change resilience at local government level, they realized that initiatives and planned actions are constrained and hampered by poor land use planning and lack of integration of climate change factors into development agendas. In a participatory research project in Amuwo Odofin Local Government they critically analyzed the scope of actions assigned to local governments compared to state governments on existing land use policies, regulations and laws and developed a participatory risk reduction and management blue print.

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.

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

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.

Watch this imaginary news cast on the end of oil in Nigeria, with Japheth Omojuwa, well known social media personality. Watch Video

159 words to inspire you to think beyond oil… How would Nigeria look like once it has decided to go green on energy?

 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).

Out of 160 million Nigerians, about 100 million are still waiting for electricity. The 40% national grid makes large-scale rural development almost impossible to achieve. Renewable energies can provide power to millions of people in Nigeria, as the country has enough sun, small water ways, wind and biomass to produce 200,000 mega watts or more. But there is lack of awareness and of large-scale government support. This video is meant to increase awareness of renewable energies as cheap sources of reliable power. Watch Video

Forty per cent of Nigerian agricultural products ends up as waste. Fruit and vegetables at the famous Mile 12 market in Lagos are no exemption, despite the fact that Lagos’ gastronomy and people depend on this market for their daily supplies. Aniche Phil-Ebosie sees money in this waste, and is using the rotting veg to produce gas, which he turns into electricity for the market stalls. Watch Video

105 words to inspire you to think of a thriving agriculture that has business incentives for small farmers using organic fertilizer, where soil fertility is a high priority and is protected in the interest of future generations, where researchers are connecting to farmers providing them with climate proof seeds… Where agriculture serves people, nature and wealth creation. Read More - Imagine Agriculture

Nigeria’s 160 million people are projected to increase to 255 million by the year 2030. With desertification in the north, erosion and sea level rise along the Atlantic coast and more floods, will Nigeria be able to feed itself? With almost half of the country’s arable land not cultivated, there is a real possibility to increase food production. But how should Nigeria’s future agriculture look like? Green Deal Nigeria author Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba argues that sustainable agriculture is possible if small farmers are not left behind.