Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), yesterday, began a two-day workshop with a view to boosting electricity supply across the country.
The event, according to NGF chairman and Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, demonstrates the fact that the forum believes in partnership and getting divergent views on improving supply.
With the theme, ‘Implications and Opportunities for State Electricity Markets’, the workshop will also seek ways to complement the Electricity Act 2023.
AbdulRazak, who hinted that the Act comes with risks and threats, which must be understood, said: “We will leave here enriched, seeing how we can implement the Electricity Act and interface with existing structures.”
The NGF had described the event as a high-level roundtable expected to provide opportunity for states to dialogue on potential pathways for accelerating energy access as envisaged in the Act, with input from key stakeholders, such as Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN); NGF; Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE); development partners and a select number of internationally renowned experts in the field of regional electricity markets.
Objectives of the workshop are: identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats linked to the Electricity Act 2023, as well as strategies for navigating emerging challenges; and raising awareness on mechanisms at the NGF to support state electricity markets.
Earlier in his remarks, NGF Director General, Asishana Okauru, said: “The Electricity Act 2023 represents a significant milestone towards achieving a stable, reliable, and efficient electricity supply for our people. It provides a legal framework for private sector participation in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.”
He added: “We are going to give a lot of technical support to states. This includes collaborating with development partners that are very experienced in this area, to help take this initiative to the local level.”
In his remarks, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, lamented that Nigeria has the world’s largest electricity deficit, adding: “What we’re gathered here to do is to work on the credible reform process that’s needed to resolve both the regulatory and policy changes that are necessary, and work together to make sure these are addressed in an integrated manner.”
