EnergyAccessAfrica

Nigeria’s ranking on air pollution, green energy stirs controversy The study identified the biggest contributors to negative environmental impact, but the surprising results placed five African countries in the top 10 for lowest environmental impact. • Mozambique tops list,Ethiopia, Zambia,Ghana among first 10 • Report isn’t good, say lawmaker, HOMEF The impact of Nigerians and their activities on the environment became a subject of controversy yesterday as a global study ranked the country high. A new study from MoneySuperMarket on how people impact their environment, from different countries around the world highlights individual contribution to the world’s climate as well as areas for improvement for each country. The study identified the biggest contributors to negative environmental impact, but the surprising results placed five African countries in the top 10 for lowest environmental impact. Nigeria ranked highly (35th position) as one of the countries with t...

Gas Flare: NNPC Moves to Meet Nigeria’s 2020 Exit Plan The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that it has put in place measures to reduce the flare of gas at its oil fields preparatory to the 2020 flare out deadline issued by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who was represented by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Mr. Yusuf Matashi, made this disclosure recently at the National Assembly Complex Abuja, during a one-day public hearing on ‘Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill 2017’. Baru, said the NNPC was strongly in support of the legislation to reduce gas flaring, adding that its consideration of the legislation was from the environmental and financial benefits it promised the country, rather than from the perspective of penalising defaulting parties. A statement from the Group General Manager, Public Affairs, NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, quoted Baru a...

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Renewable energy: Solution to Nigeria’s energy crisis Culled from the Guardian ENERGY is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economic growth and development. It significantly serves as a tradable commodity for earning the national income, which is used to support government development programmes. It also serves as an input into the production of goods and services in the nation’s industry, transport, agriculture, health and education sectors, as well as an instrument for politics, security and diplomacy. It is evident that Nigeria being the most populous black nation in the world, endowed with rich and diverse natural resources, is still one of the poorest countries in the world with an estimated GDP per capita of N1977.97. Energy crisis in Nigeria has become a norm for several decades and is the bane of her economic development. There is an extreme electricity deficiency in Nigeria and the causes of this deficiency are related to financial, sociopolitical, and structural is...

Access to Renewable Energy Energy Cooking Stove. Photo: UNDP Nigeria The energy sector is of strategic importance to the Nigerian economy, and a major driver for growth. It is a macro economic importance; it also has a major role to play in reducing poverty, improving productivity and enhancing the general quality of life of Nigerian People. However, Nigeria is currently facing an energy crisis, with only 47% of the population having access to electricity; deficiencies in access to modern thermal and mechanical energy services, as well as insufficient public capitalization of the oil and gas production. There are important advantages to be gained from an increased access to renewable energy sources and services. Expanding access to renewable energy services in rural and peri-urban areas is associated with a number of challenges, and innovative approaches have to be considered. The UNDP Access to Renewable Energy Programme focuses on increasing the national capacity t...

N600b solar power for UNILORIN To ensure stable electricity supply in the institution, the University of Ilorin signs a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with an American company, Arrow Capital Solar Company, to produce 500 mega watts of solar energy Brian Travis and Professor Ambali at the signing ceremony in Ilorin In its bid to ensure that the University of Ilorin has an uninterrupted supply of electricity, the institution has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with an American company, Arrow Capital Solar Company, to produce 500 mega watts of solar energy. The project, that would gulp N600 billion, would commence immediately and is expected to be completed in October this year. The project is the first of its kind in the Nigerian universities as well as the subregion. Addressing select journalists in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital over the weekend while signing the MoU, the Chief Executive Officer of Arrow Capital Solar Company, Brian Travis, said the pro...

IMPROVING ENERGY ACCESS IN NIGERIA LGO STUDENT BUILDS ENERGY BUSINESS TO INCREASE SOLAR POWER IN HER HOME COUNTRY Chinasa Emeghara, LGO ’17 As a child in Nigeria, Chinasa Emeghara, LGO ’17, saw firsthand how difficult it is to live without reliable electricity. Today, she is addressing this global challenge directly by starting a solar energy company. “[In Nigeria], businesses have to shut down at 4 p.m. because there’s no electricity, or they have to pay for generators, which are expensive and inefficient,” said Emeghara. “There were many occasions when I couldn't study after school because the lights were out.” Emeghara moved to Texas when she was 10 years old and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She then spent four years as a consultant for Accenture working in the energy sector. Drawn to MIT by her interest in operations, she enrolled in MIT’s  Leaders for Global Operation...