Nigeria needs effective public-private sector collaboration and business-to-business partnerships to drive its clean energy agenda and achieve its 2060 net-zero target.
Key Nigerian speakers at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) agreed that all stakeholders across the private and public sectors must join hands to deliver on the country’s clean energy agenda.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Oando Clean Energy Limited (OCEL), Dr. Ainojie Irune, said the future would see a more diverse and dynamic energy mix with less reliance on oil, and a greater focus on creating net zero opportunities using gas and more sustainable energy sources.
He underscored the importance of the company’s sustainable transport strategy as a launchpad that will create the impetus for private users to start to migrate to electric vehicles (EVs) and eventually lead to economies of scale across the nation.
Executive Vice President, Oando Clean Energy Limited (OCEL), Mr. Ademola Ogunbanjo, highlighted OCEL’s sustainable transport initiative specifically targeted at decarbonising the Niger Delta region.
He explained how the company’s strategic focus aligned with the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan (NETP).
According to him, OCEL is leading private sector’s partnership by supporting government’s roadmap for the implementation of EVs across Nigeria and its ambition to boost local capacity in the medium term through the construction of an EV assembly and manufacturing plant.
“This is not the age of competition; it is the age of collaboration. We must collaborate, not only between the government and the public sector but also, within the private sector, if we want to push forward the country’s net-zero agenda,” Ogunbanjo said.
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Pioneer Director-General, National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr. Salisu Dahiru underlined the importance of OCEL’s pipeline projects as a veritable catalyst for Nigeria’s net zero agenda.
He noted that even before the advent of the NCCC, many climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives were already being driven by the private sector.
He advocated the need to further bridge the gaps between government policy and private sector initiatives, with the first step being creating an enabling environment to ensure the successful delivery of long-term sustainable energy projects.
Themed ‘delivering for the people and the planet’, one message revibrated at COP27- climate pledges must be matched with action. The event, tagged Africa’s COP, served as an opportunity to showcase what countries were doing to safeguard the planet.
OCEL, the renewable energy subsidiary of Oando Plc, and part of the Nigerian delegation to COP27, hosted two side events at the Nigeria pavilion.
The first side-event themed ‘Decarbonising an Oil-rich Region: A Case for the Niger Delta was held in partnership with Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, National Council on Climate Change, REAN and Stratus Limited. The event had a diverse audience of financiers, partners, government officials and non governmental organisations (NGOs). Engineer John Agada, Director of Environmental Management, gave the welcome address on behalf of the Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Sharon Ikeazor while Ogunbanjo made a presentation on OCEL’s sustainable initiative.
Conversations on the role of private public partnerships (PPPs), climate financing and an enabling business environment intensified at OCEL’s second side event, themed ‘Achieving Nigeria’s Net Zero Target: A Public-Private Partnership’. The event organised in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment, amongst others, showcased the company’s pipeline projects to support Nigeria in meeting the commitment made by President Muhammadu Buhari at COP26 to hit net zero by 2060. Irune participated as a panelist alongside the Commissioner for Environment, Kogi State, Mr. Omofaiye Adewale, and Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET), Dr. Nnaemeka Ewelukwa.