Kunle Kalejaye 24 July 2014, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Lagos State Government has expressed readiness to partner with investors in implementing a framework that will harness its renewable energy resources.
The framework is expected to encourage and guide the development of renewable energy projects by all stakeholders in both the public and private sectors.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mrs. Regina Obasa, disclosed this at a Community Enterprise Development Conference in Ikeja, Lagos.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mrs. Regina Obasa, disclosed this at a Community Enterprise Development Conference in Ikeja, Lagos.
The Permanent Secretary who represented the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola, said that Lagos being the commercial and economic capital of Nigeria implies that Lagos State as a mega-city requires a lot of energy to thrive.
“Lagos require adequate access to energy for economic transformation of the State. It is one of the fastest ways to cut rural poverty, boost productivity and accelerate education and health outcomes, both in urban and rural areas” the Permanent Secretary said.
Mrs. Obasa disclosed that Lagos requires minimum of 10, 0000 megawatts of electricity daily but hardly get 700Megawatts from the national grid.
To address the inadequacy, the State is investing in independent power projects (IPP) to take care of government offices and establishments thereby releasing more power to Lagosians.
While decrying Federal Government policies that are not effective especially in the area of electricity generation, she called for a Legislation that will allow each state to generate and transmit its own electricity for its citizenry.
She also called on investors to take advantage of abundant renewable resources like solar, biomass, wind, hydro and tidal waves with low greenhouse gas emission coefficients and primary energy factors to ensure availability, accessibility and affordability to modern energy for economic and commercial activities.
Declaring the workshop open, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government Establishment and Pension Office, Mr Ashimi Jamiu Adewole called on the Federal Government to put in place policies that will protect the intellectual copyrights of Nigerian so as to encourage others to develop and build up infrastructures in the renewable energy sector of the economy.
Convener and Executive Director, African Women and Youth Organisation, (AWYO) Mrs. Olayinka Elizabeth Adekunle said the major objective of the workshop is to create a first-hand meeting with German investors and research institutes in Lagos to dialogue on possible area of partnership and funding as well as identifying detailed means of using viable alternatives to help solve present and future challenges in the energy and agricultural sectors thus ensuring food sustainability and economic security.
Lead facilitator and Head of Bioeconomy, German Institute of Food Technology, Dr. Alexander Mathys, spoke extensively on the German experience in alternative energy and Food security and Sustainability which he said can be replicated in Nigeria.
Speakers at the workshop called for a more concerted effort by both the State and Federal Government to be involved in international research and development and the application of commercially viable, large-scale technologies for renewable sources of electricity generation and food production in the Country.
While decrying Federal Government policies that are not effective especially in the area of electricity generation, she called for a Legislation that will allow each state to generate and transmit its own electricity for its citizenry.
She also called on investors to take advantage of abundant renewable resources like solar, biomass, wind, hydro and tidal waves with low greenhouse gas emission coefficients and primary energy factors to ensure availability, accessibility and affordability to modern energy for economic and commercial activities.
Declaring the workshop open, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government Establishment and Pension Office, Mr Ashimi Jamiu Adewole called on the Federal Government to put in place policies that will protect the intellectual copyrights of Nigerian so as to encourage others to develop and build up infrastructures in the renewable energy sector of the economy.
Convener and Executive Director, African Women and Youth Organisation, (AWYO) Mrs. Olayinka Elizabeth Adekunle said the major objective of the workshop is to create a first-hand meeting with German investors and research institutes in Lagos to dialogue on possible area of partnership and funding as well as identifying detailed means of using viable alternatives to help solve present and future challenges in the energy and agricultural sectors thus ensuring food sustainability and economic security.
Lead facilitator and Head of Bioeconomy, German Institute of Food Technology, Dr. Alexander Mathys, spoke extensively on the German experience in alternative energy and Food security and Sustainability which he said can be replicated in Nigeria.
Speakers at the workshop called for a more concerted effort by both the State and Federal Government to be involved in international research and development and the application of commercially viable, large-scale technologies for renewable sources of electricity generation and food production in the Country.
Participants at the workshop were drawn from both the Local and State Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.