Group pledges to bridge energy deficit in Nigeria

Organisers of the 2016 Nigeria Energy Forum (NEF) on Thursday pledged to bridge the energy deficit in Nigeria through sustainable renewable energy production.

Mrs Olanrewaju Bamise, the Lead Innovator and Strategist of the forum, gave this assurance at a news briefing on the up-coming conference of the forum in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the organisers of the NEF are a group of young Nigerian researchers based in United Kingdom.

Bamise said that it was regrettable that only half of the Nigerian population of about 170 million people had access to power from the national grid.

She also said that about 90 per cent of industrial consumers in Nigeria were generating their own power.

According to her, this infrastructure barrier is constraining economic growth and constitutes set back to achieving the nation’s target.

Bamise said that 2016 NEF would highlight opportunities for Nigeria to develop her abundant renewable energy sources, especially solar, which were capable of rapidly increasing rural electricity access at reduced cost.

She said that NEF would provide a high level forum for stakeholders in energy community to come together and discuss issues on energy access capability.

The lead innovator said that there was also a huge gap between the academia and professionals in the energy sector in Nigeria.

She said that the forum would provide the opportunity for academia to present their research findings and recommend solutions to energy deficit in the country.

According to Bamise, NEF has cutting edge ideas that will help to improve energy delivery and ensure self sustenance.

“NEF will provide opportunity for stakeholders in the sector to exhibit their products.

“Top 16 youths, who emerged from 381 participants that competed in an essay competition across African countries, will present their essays at the conference.

“Topic of the essay is: How Can We Achieve Sustainable and Affordable Energy by 2020,’’ Bamise said.

The Vice-President Yemi Osibajo will be the chief host at the two-day conference scheduled to hold in Lagos from April 12.

Dr. Akinwumi Adeshina, the President of African Development Bank (AfDB), is also expected to make presentations at the conference.

The conference is to be hosted by the Nigeria Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.