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Nigeria is discussing its plans for rural electrification using homegrown technologies at the ongoing 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as Conference of the Parties (COP28). The event kicked off this week inside the Expo City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
President Bola Tinubu is leading Nigeria’s representation at COP28, intended for governments to agree on policies to limit global temperature rises and adapt to impacts associated with climate change. The event attarcts other presidents and heads of state, government officials, business leaders, investors, development partners, civil society organisations, academics and media.
The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu will participate at a panel session titled ‘Advancing Sustainable Rural Electrification through Homegrown Technologies’
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Moderated by Al Amin Idris, CEO of Interface Africa, Halilu will speak alongside Gunther Beger, Managing Director of the Directorate for SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation, UNIDO; Mohammed Umar Bago, Governor of Niger State, Nigeria; and Miklós Veszprémi, Climate & Sustainability Expert Consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The NASENI boss is expected to discuss the roles his agency currently is playing to promote development and adoption of homegrown technologies for rural electrification in Nigeria as well as other initiatives undertaken to advance sustainable rural electrification in the country.
Since assumption of office last September, Halilu has made sustainable rural electrification through renewable energies one of his key priorities. NASENI has inked partnership commitments with government agencies and companies such as Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL) to ensure rural communities are provided with affordable renewable energy solutions and also homes. This is being accomplished through provision of fund toward research and development, facilitating technology transfer, and support for commercialization of innovative solutions.
In September, NASENI and REA agreed to work together to deploy NASENI solar resources and other renewable energy technologies to increase electricity supply to Nigeria’s rural areas. Also in November, the Family Homes Funds Limited signed an MoU with the Agency to promote modern and sustainable building designs for affordable housing across Nigeria. According to NASENI’s EVC during the MoU signing event with FHFL, he said “the Agency will contribute toward reducing the cost of building materials so that Nigerians can build, own homes and to deploy affordable solar energy solutions”
Family Homes Funds Ltd is a limited liability company owned by the federal government of Nigeria and represented by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
