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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Nigerian government is set to partner with the People’s Republic of China on the development of a renewable energy research centre that will boost renewable energy technology in some selected Nigerian universities.
The proposed partnership between the Chinese and Nigerian universities is expected to build and upgrade centres of excellence in renewable energy technologies, which include green energy (solar, wind, hydro, bio-energy), energy efficiency and management.
The Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mohammed Abdullahi, while receiving the delegates in Abuja, yesterday, said that prior to the Chinese engagement, the FMST had an ongoing discussion regarding engineering cooperation to have memorandum of understanding particularly in the areas of exchange of knowledge, ideas, equipment and learning problems with selected universities in the country focusing on technology.
Abdullahi also received on behalf of the Ministry a donation of solar panel equipment from the Department of Commerce of Yunan Province and Kunming Engineering Corporation Ltd of the People’s Republic of China.
The minister also stated that the support received from China would help to stem the tide of rural to urban migration, noting that lack of power is the major problem in rural areas.
He further stated that FMSTI would appoint a committee to look at the process of selecting beneficiaries in the rural areas to see how they can be deployed.
The country representative of Power China in Nigeria, Ji Yuxin, said that the donation is in line with promoting green technology in rural communities and is a part of the “Belt and Road Initiative.”
He added that the donation is a project that aims to provide the solution of electricity shortages in rural areas where the national grid is not accessible.
