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Renewable energy: Buhari urges more collaboration in Africa

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged African countries to collaborate more to ensure that the continent is adequately keyed in and benefited from the energy transition.

 

He particularly called on ministers of energy and mines in the continent to unite and synergise more as global attention is focusing on clean and renewable energy than fossil fuel.

 

He spoke during the inaugural Energy Investment Summit, themed: “Towards a Greener Africa.” The president was represented at the summit by the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilenka Adegbite, who also read his address. President Buhari also urged the ministers to, as a matter of urgency, gear up for the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition. He urged all countries who are signatories to the declaration of cooperation to strengthen their shared goals.

 

According to him, the summit provided the opportunity to share views on natural resources and energy market development, which will lead to the growth and industrialisation of Africa.

 

The inaugural Energy Investment Summit had in attendance Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, minister of mines and energy from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Gambia, Libya, Kenya, Chad, and Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada, among other industry stakeholders. Buhari said: “I’m delighted to see various African nationals gathered here today to deliberate and create a framework within which future cooperation and collaboration can take place.

 

“I believe this should spur us as a continent of diverse people to co-operate and collaborate more, initiate innovative solutions to the challenges that are peculiar to us and come up with technologies and products that will lead to the growth and industrialisation of Africa in a more environmentally-friendly manner while encouraging the development and financing of green energy projects.

 

“In the fight against climate change, in the midst of this energy transition lies many challenges and opportunities for a continent yearning for development.”

 

“With the world focusing on discovering and utilising clean sources of energy in order to cut down carbon emissions to protect the world from further climate change, the first Nigeria Africa natural resources and investment summit is to chart a way forward for the development of natural resources and energy projects in a sustainable and climatefriendly manner.”

 

Adegbite said that participating countries in the declaration of cooperation would strengthen their cooperation, through joint assessment and viewpoints, with the aim to financing sustainable African Natural Resources and Energy Projects that are key to the transition.

 

He stated that the cooperation would be “for the benefit of producers and consumers and to regularly review at technical and ministerial levels the status of our cooperation.” The Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zubair Dada, said the summit was timing and apt, more so considering that the climate change and consequent challenges are concerns that Africa must not ignore.

According to  him, collective efforts and commitments are imperative to overcome them.

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