Chuks Oyema-Aziken
Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, has unfolded the benefits inherent in Nigeria’s energy transition.
Speaking at a high level meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change in Abuja, Ikeazor noted that net jobs creation can be up to 840 thousand jobs with the boost of electric vehicles and off-grid solar.
As an oil dependent nation, Ikeazor, noted that Nigeria’s economic and developmental aspirations will be compromised if it does not define its transition pathways to align with our broader developmental goals.
She assured that with the support of Nigerian Ministers and Development partners, the Environment Ministry is positioned to take the lead in aligning Nigeria’s national climate plans and strategies with the country’s energy transition efforts.
She said; “We are counting on your support to deliver on the Ministry’s mandate and Nigeria’s climate commitments. With eight years to go until the deadline for achieving the energy access Sustainable Development Goal 7, and with 2060 fast approaching the time begins NOW.”
Ikeazor noted that Nigeria has a revised Nationally Determined Contribution with additional sectors waste and water, more ambitious targets and an increase from 40% to 47% conditional with international support.
According to the Minister, “National Adaptation Plan was developed to approved Energy Transition Plan to meet Energy needs and decarbonize the economy with a focus on transportation, industry, power, commerce, residential, oil & gas sectors, Gender Action Plan with specific gender elements to be considered in the programme design and implementation.
She said the government recently launched the Deep Decarbonization Project which focuses on scenarios & modeling analysis of low emission development pathway in tandem with sustainable economic growth and more.”
Ikeazor said Nigeria’s energy transition has a significant potential to create new jobs, including up to one hundred and 70, 000 jobs in off-grid solar deployment in the power sector and up to two 100, 000 jobs across the supply chain for clean cooking solutions, and with Net jobs creation of over 80, 000 jobs with the boost of electric vehicles and off-grid solar.
The Minister said Nigeria as a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC in the negotiations held at the recently concluded Conference of Parties, COP26 has created an urgency to implement activities for rapid reduction of emission across all sectors of the economy to avert disastrous and catastrophic climate impacts.
She said; “As part of the National preparatory process for COP27 which in the sense is an African COP, President Muhammad Buhari signed into law the Climate Change Bill passed by the National Assembly. This Climate Change Law provides an overarching legal framework to articulate a long-term climate plan for Nigeria to achieve a net-zero carbon emission target, national climate resilience
“The Nationally Determined Contribution, NDC activities are expected to be weighed against the Energy Transition Plan, National Adaptation Plan, Gender Action Plan, National Development Plan 2022 -2025 to ensure alignment.”
The Ministry’s development Partner, Mckinsey & Co, Mr Adam Kendall, called on the Nigerian government to take action in ensuring that the developing partners are driving on the right paths of the Energy Transition Plan.
According to him, “building a credible Roadmap to Net Zero by 2060 would require a phased approach with ambitious milestones and targets, such as power, transport, oil and gas, building, industry, financing and investment.”
Mr Kendall added that several workstream would be required to take near term actions to make Net Zero 2060 a reality.
The high level meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change was to accelerate actions on ground with catalytic partnerships, frameworks, policies, and regulations needed to crowd-in investments at scale to achieve the Energy Transition Plan objectives.
