Stakeholders seek phased transition on proposed solar import ban

The Federal Government has called for increased local manufacturing of renewable energy technologies, saying Nigeria must reduce its dependence on imported solar panels, batteries, inverters and related equipment to strengthen energy security, create jobs and drive industrialisation.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, Prof. Olamide Fagbuji, made the call yesterday at the Lagos Solar Forum organised by the Global Initiative for Food Security and Environmental Protection (GIFSEP) in collaboration with the Nigeria Climate Information Centre, Solar Power Nigeria and Greenfaith Nigeria.

Speaking on the theme, Improving Energy Access: The Role of Solar and Renewable Energy, Fagbuji said Nigeria must move beyond being a consumer of imported renewable energy technologies and develop the capacity to manufacture them locally.

According to him, Nigeria’s youthful population provides a strong foundation for building a globally competitive green workforce through investments in technical education, apprenticeships, research and capacity development.

Fagbuji noted that the country’s drive towards local manufacturing comes at a time when global clean energy investment has surpassed $2 trillion yearly.

IN response, stakeholders in Nigeria’s renewable energy sector have urged the Federal Government to suspend plans for an immediate ban on solar panel imports and instead adopt a phased transition strategy backed by a comprehensive national renewable energy roadmap.

The response was also made at the Lagos Solar Forum.

The stakeholders argued that the approach would safeguard energy access, strengthen local manufacturing and ensure the country builds sufficient production capacity before restricting imports.

Speaking at the forum, the Nigerian Campaign Director of the Secure Energy Project, Joseph Ibrahim, said the organisation was engaging the government and industry stakeholders over the proposed policy, arguing that Nigeria is not yet ready to prohibit solar panel imports.

He said the campaign was established to identify policy bottlenecks slowing Nigeria’s transition to clean energy and support partners in addressing them through evidence-based recommendations.

According to him, discussions at the forum would culminate in a policy brief containing stakeholders’ recommendations for submission to the Federal Government.

In his opening remarks at the event, the Senior Director of the Secure Energy Project, Chris Kiff, said the dialogue was designed to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders rather than create another stand-alone initiative.

The Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), Dr David Michael Terungwa, described energy poverty as one of Nigeria’s biggest development challenges, saying unreliable electricity continued to undermine economic growth and trap millions of people in poverty.

Presenting a review of Nigeria’s energy investment landscape, Daniel Awolaja, co-founder of the Africa Energy Tracker, said Nigeria had attracted about $100 billion in disclosed energy investments across 422 projects over the past decade, making it Africa’s second-largest recipient after South Africa.