The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, has stressed the importance of adopting a balanced approach to energy usage and implementing efficient energy management strategies.

Dr. Abdullahi said this approach aims to minimise energy wastage, which is crucial for sustainable development and environmental conservation.

According to him, effective energy management involves optimising energy consumption patterns, reducing energy losses, and promoting the use of renewable energy sources.

Abdullahi stated this in Abuja at a one-day capacity-building workshop on Energy Management Systems (EnMS), organised by the Commission in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Organized under a project titled “Improving Nigeria’s Industrial Energy Performance and Resource-Efficient Cleaner Production through Programmatic Approaches and Promotion of Innovation in Clean Technology Solutions,” participants were drawn from several ministries, departments, and agencies.

The ECN DG said: “This timely training on Energy Management Systems (EnMS) is organized to present a systematic framework for establishing policies, processes, procedures, and specific energy tasks toward meeting an organization’s energy-saving targets.

“The adoption of energy management systems (EnMS) will enable energy consumers (industrial, commercial, and public) to continually manage their energy use and improve energy efficiency.

“It will assist organizations in identifying areas of energy wastage and opportunities to improve energy-saving technologies, including simple housekeeping measures that do not necessarily require high capital investment.”

Quoting Nigeria’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), he stated that Nigeria aims to reduce emissions by 20 per cent below a business-as-usual scenario by 2030 unconditionally and by 47 per cent if international support is provided.

Declaring the event open, the National Programme Coordinator for Environment and Energy at UNIDO’s Sub-Regional Office Hub for Nigeria and ECOWAS, Oluyomi Banjo, emphasized the urgent need for industries in emerging economies to adopt sustainable practices.

Specifically, he highlighted the importance of reducing energy consumption, environmental degradation, and resource depletion.
Banjo highlighted the significant impact of industries on the environment, noting that they consume approximately one-third of the
world’s total energy and are responsible for nearly 40 per cent of global carbon emissions.

He said that the project aims to develop specialized expertise in Nigeria’s industrial sector, which can not only benefit the country but also be shared with other African nations and beyond, promoting sustainable industrial practices on a broader scale.

“This project will address to a good extent the questions on how industries can improve their efficiency, increase profitability, operate at international best standards, comply with regulations, and maintain an improved relationship with policymakers.

“A pilot financing RECP-IEE scheme is being executed through the Bank of Industry of Nigeria, and issues around ISO 50000 and 14001 are being executed through the Standards Organization of Nigeria.

“We hope to support not less than 70 industries across five sectors: food and beverage, wood and furniture, steel and metals, textiles and garments, and petrochemicals.

“We will develop the capacity of the Organized Private Sector and train not less than 300 Nigerian RECP-IEE experts,” he stated.