Nigeria Minister of state Power, Goddy Jedy Agba
By Our Reporter
The minister of state Power, Goddy Jedy Agba has said that the power sector requires $4 Billion annually to universally access clean and renewable energy for a sustained power supply to consumers in the country.
Speaking at a virtual Global power sector players conference presided over by the United Nations Secretary General, His Excellency, Antonio Guternes, the minister outlined the achievements and challenges President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has recorded in the power sector, saying the government is desirous of ensuring that there is adequate supply of electricity to consumers.
“Our ambition was demonstrated by the recent removal of the fuel subsidy in Nigeria which now makes the off-grid sector more competitive, as well as the 5 million solar connections programme which was included in the Covid-19 recovery strategy, Economic Sustainability Plan ESP.
While urging global partners to support ESP, introduced by the Federal Government, the minister stressed that Nigeria is taking steps to merge its energy access and energy transition conversations as the largest un-electrified population globally resides within the borders, arguing that it is important to give access to the un-electrified 85 million people using renewable sources to maintain Nigeria and Africa’s low contribution to carbon emission.
Agba declared that financing has been a major constraint, adding that the present administration has identified areas of conflicts including accountability, transparency and technical capacity and has gone a long way to address these challenges except for finances to boost the sector.
He maintained that clean and renewable energy is the way to go for a sustained power sector reforms in the country to hand over a prestigious legacy in the power sector for successive governments
Earlier, the UN secretary General Antonio Gluternes noted that African countries and the global trend for power sector development is clean and renewable energy to unbundle the usual grid supply which has been insufficient over the years especially in African countries considering the huge amounts of funds required to fund sustained supply of power.
Gluternes said the United Nations is prepared to give necessary support to Nigeria considering the position paper presented by the minister of state power Goddy Jeddy Agba at the conference.
He disclosed that the United Nation is currently supporting the Nigerian power sector to stabilise supply, adding that the UN will increase their support to improve the adequate supply of electricity in Nigeria.
In the same vein, the President of African Development Bank (AFDB). Dr Akunwumi Adesina, stated that the African Development Bank will continue to support the power sector public private initiatives to ensure that there is stability in the power sector across African countries.
He said the bank has continued to formulate and implement power sector friendly policies in order to boost manufacturing, industrialization and the informal sector for sustainable growth and development.
