NIGERIA: ENSURING A PEOPLE-CENTERED ENERGY TRANSITION IN AFRICA THROUGH CIVIL SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT

Following the two days conference that took place in Morocco on the 12th and 13th of April 2022, another two days meeting on Renewable Energy was held in Abuja Nigeria precisely at the Reiz Continental Hotel on the 19th and 20th of April 2022.

This meeting taking place in Nigeria aims at,  Reaching a consensus on what the project is hoping to achieve via collective understanding among project CSOs/CBOs beneficiaries and other stakeholders, Inaugurating a vibrant and functioning national coalition platform on REIs to increase the visibility of actions at national, regional and international levels and Developing and launching a National Advocacy and Engagement Strategy that will inform national contexts and influence the regional and continental advocacy strategies.

Day one of this conference began at 8:30am having as main program “Project Launch and ACSEA Platform for Sustainable Energy Delivery in Africa” and had as some key speakers Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, the National Coordinator of ACSEA-Nigeria , Dr. Augustine B Njamshi the Executive Director of (ACSEA), Amb. Birgiff Ory from the German Embassy in Abuja, and Sean Melbourne the head of Climate Change British High Commission Abuja, just to name a few.

This first meeting in Abuja began with, keynote remarks about the African Coalition for Sustainable Energy Access (ACSEA) in Africa, followed by brief remarks from its partners. It later on continued with the ACSEA project overview and its outcomes for the year 2022-2023 presented by Eugene Nforngwa the ACSEA Programs Director. He equally presented the INCEPTION WORKSHOP which included its Project Overview and out comes for the years 2022-2023. At the end of this conference, several recommendations and suggestions as to how this project should work were put in place by the various participants.

It should be noted that, based on a national grid system in Nigeria, less than 30 per cent of the 200 million population have access to uninterrupted electricity. It is primarily unreliable and has yet to reach many communities. As a result, energy demand outstrips supply which has a negative impact on developments, health, household income, quality of life, access to modern services such as ICTs productive land use, and sustainable development.

So in order to help and solve this energy problem, The project aims to strengthen the roles of CSOs and CBOs in promoting and implementing sustainable energy transition initiatives and renewable energy-related NDC commitments in (5) African countries, Nigeria included. They will start equipping CSOs and CBOs with updated skills, knowledge, and tools which will help them engage in renewable energy policy development and program implementation monitoring. Also, the project will also ensure that CSO and CBO engagements are more coordinated under the empowered African Coalition for Sustainable Energy Access (ACSEA).Download Concept Note

Share the Post:

Related Posts