All governments have an obligation to declare their policies in specific areas of national endeavour. In the Nigerian electricity sector, that obligation is reinforced by the provisions of Section3, Electricity Act, 2023, which requires the Minister of Power to undertake the process of delivering an Integrated National Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan.
In fulfillment of this obligation, the Minister will be hosting the forthcoming National Dialogue. The last time a national electricity policy was considered and enacted was 2001. Since then, just about everything in the sector has changed multiple times; and so the need to define Nigeria’s electricity strategy is extremely urgent and compelling.
Important questions are there to be discussed on the 7th and 8th May. Identify stakeholders, their interests and roles; define and set clear, simple, measurable national objectives; recognise that Nigeria no longer has a single national electricity but under the 1999 Constitution State electricity markets also exist, exclusively to provide for retail customers.
What is the nature of, and who are the players in, these respective markets; how and from where/whom is capital to be raised for them; how are they to be governed from both the public and private sector perspectives; how do we harness our abundance of natural gas to the needs of the electricity sector even as we must manage our national obligation to be environmentally responsible and transit to clean energy sources.
What must be done to make the electricity sector at all levels inclusive, gender-sensitive and focused on enabling the elimination of poverty; what must be done to enable Nigerian talent to permeate all aspects of the electricity business from financing to manufacturing, to production, supply, customer care and the use of technology across the board; and, very importantly, what policy initiatives do we need to put in place to ensure the steady supply and development of competent, skilled, trained Nigerians to work at all levels and in all aspects of the electricity sector.
These questions will be discussed at this National Dialogue. It promises to be a major watershed in the evolution of Nigeria’s electricity sector…and not a moment to soon. #MinisterofPower #IntegratedNationalElectrcityPolicy #MinistryofPower #AfDB #UKNIAF #NationalDialogue
INVITATION: Africa Energy Market Place
The African Development Bank will hold the 8th edition of the Africa Energy Market Place in #Nigeria on the theme, “Towards Nigeria's Sustainable Energy Future: Policy, Investment, and Regulation”.
The conference will provide key stakeholders, including government institutions, development partners and the private sector, an opportunity to exchange ideas on fostering priority sector reforms, promoting sustainable growth, and catalyzing investments for a transformative energy sector.
The event will take the form of an online technical consultation session, on 15-17 April 2024, and a physical event on 7-8 May 2024 at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
Register: https://bit.ly/43GMHtU
#PowerAfrica #AEMPNigeria #AEMP2024
