By Stella Odueme
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The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has emphasized the need for the development of local capacities for the sustainability of the power sector.
The Minister spoke at the commissioning of training equipment and simulation infrastructure for capacity development in power distribution, built by the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) with support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), located in Idu industrial area of Abuja.Adelabu said Nigeria must focus on building local competencies, so as to manage the nation’s foreign exchange and develop human capacities that can manage the resources.
“Today’s event marks more than just the commissioning of new equipment; it signifies the beginning of a new chapter for Nigeria’s power industry. The introduction of a state-of-the-art training equipment and simulation technology is a testament to our commitment to building a sustainable and resilient energy sector in Nigeria, driven by increased local capacity and competence. This is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President..
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“The present administration in Nigeria, led by His Excellency, President. Bola Ahmed Tinubu recognizes that energy is not merely a commodity; it is the backbone of economic growth and job creation. To ensure the growth and sustainability of the sector, the Federal Government of Nigeria continues to implement a multi-pronged approach spanning across policy development and strategic implementation plans, ongoing national infrastructure development programmes to expedite infrastructure expansion, leveraging bilateral funding to de-risk investment, sector commercialization, and strategic partnership with the investment community and development partners to address bottlenecks across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) value chain, setting the sector on a path toward bankability and long-term sustainability. What we are doing here today is part of the effort to realise that goal”, the Minister said.
He also emphasized the need for the power sector to restore the confidence of the consumers, particularly the industrial sector on the reliability of the grid, which is cheaper than the captive, embedded, and the renewable power supply.
