The Nigerian Senate has promised to review and enact new laws to strengthen the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and improve local content, as the 9th Africa Energy Summit kicks off in Port Harcourt.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio made the pledge at the summit, organised by Solewant Group, with the theme “Emerging Technologies and the Future of Sustainable Energy Development in Africa”.
Representing Akpabio, Senator Osita Ngwu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, said the Senate would address grey areas in existing laws to benefit Nigerians.
Ngwu, who is the Senator representating Enugu West District, noted that a bill on local content is already before the Senate, and the committee is working to make it more comprehensive.
He said, “Recently, one of us presented a bill on local content. We at the committee level deliberated on that bill, on Automotive Industry, and someone recommended that the bill should cover every other industry to improve our local content.
“The recommendation is done, and we are about to start looking at the bills. We will want the industry players to make recommendations when the time comes, so that we will further strengthen our Local Content Act, to ensure industry growth.”
Ngwu noted that the Senate has received many complaints against the PIA and that, for efficiency’s sake, the Senate, when it reconvenes, would repeal and enact laws that would better serve the people.
Meanwhile, Renowned Kenyan lawyer, academic, and activist, Professor Patrick Lumumba, has emphasised the need for respect and support for African universities to drive the continent’s development.
He spoke as the keynote speaker at the Summit, urging energy experts to develop a sustainable roadmap for clean and renewable energy, saying, “There are countries in Africa that are actually moving away from vehicles using fuel. We are now talking about energies that do not have an impact on Africa and the rest of the world.”
He expressed concern about the drying up of dams in Africa, affecting power generation. He noted that the African Union has set a goal to make the continent the world’s largest electricity generator by 2040.
However, Lumumba questioned the AU’s habit of making declarations that never come to pass, saying, “It can no longer be business as usual. It has to be business unusual. We cannot continue to be like this. We have to think out of the box.”
Solewant Group’s CEO, Solomon Ewanehi, commended the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for its support for local content.
Ewanehi said his company has delivered over 100 projects and is working on energy transition and pipeline protection technologies to combat vandalism.
The summit aims to discuss emerging technologies and sustainable energy development in Africa, with stakeholders urging policymakers to prioritise laws that promote local content and ease of doing business.
