Nigeria is facing a chronic power shortage crisis as a result of inadequate supply and poor distribution, which results in frequent power cuts. With generated electricity hopelessly short of demand, Nigeria has become the world's largest buyer of medium size generators and the world's second largest buyer of large generators behind Saudi Arabia.
Meeting potential investors in London yesterday, Professor Osinbajo stated that solar energy provides an incredible opportunity for Africa to be lit up. At the event, he signed an agreement on behalf of the federal government the United Kingdom on the use of solar energy to provide electricity to rural people in Nigeria.
Professor Osinbajo added: “With the cost of solar power 20 years ago that would have been impossible but with the combination of innovation in technology, the low cost of solar power has made this all the more possible. This is an incredible opportunity in Africa, especially Nigeria with over 96m people who do not have access to power.”
While Professor Osibanjo, who led Nigeria’s delegation signed on behalf of Nigeria, the UK minister of state for international development, Grant Shapps, signed on behalf of his government. This bilateral agreement was signed shortly after the launch of the Africa Energy campaign initiated by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID).
According to Professor Osinbajo, his presence at the launch was to underscore Nigeria’s commitment to the national and regional efforts to improve accessibility to power, especially solar power for her people. He added that Nigeria will do its best to ensure that the campaign to boost supply and consumption of solar energy is invigorated and gave an assurance that the federal government would work closely with the DFID on the issue.
He said that the programme was an opportunity for Africa, adding that the advantage of the launch was that the partners could bring universal access to energy. Professor Osinbajo noted that the use of kerosene had created a lot of safety and environmental issues adding that a default energy source should be solar and the option was not available for so long but now it is cheaper, safer, and more environmentally friendly.
In addition, Professor Osinbajo observed that the campaign was an opportunity for investment which could get a boom such as was experienced in the telecommunications sector in the country. He said the Nigerian market provided the greatest opportunity for the use of small scale solar solutions adding that the country would be the ideal base to push the solar solution in the continent.
Professor Osinbajo urged those who would drive the campaign to also determine the effective cost that would not further impoverish the poor. He noted that there could not be one particular solution to the need for power adding that the alliance being created by the partners was important.
Mr Shapps said that Africa Energy was a campaign to bring justice to more than 600m people around the continent without access to electricity. He added that many Africans did not have light in their homes and their children unable to do their homework, while others die of household pollution from use of kerosene and charcoal.
According to Mr Shapps, the situation was unacceptable and the campaign needed a group of coalitions and alliances cutting across the business and political boundaries and people with technological capabilities and civil society movements to make it work. He pointed out that this is a cause and a challenge but it is achievable.
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