The Minister of Innovation Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has emphasised the need to build cleaner and more resilient energy future for Nigeria.
Nnaji made the statement at the signing of MoU between the Energy Commission of Nigeria, China Energy Engineering Corporation Ltd, and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum in Abuja.
The minister said, “This partnership reflects our shared ambition to expand access to clean energy, strengthen energy planning at the state level, and promote sustainable technologies — all in alignment with our National Energy Masterplan and national development goals.”
According to the minister, the scope of the MoU includes technical support for state energy planning; deployment of renewable energy infrastructure (solar, wind, hydro); and establishment of a Nigeria-China Renewable Energy Research Centre to drive innovation, technology transfer, and capacity-building.
He said the initiative will not only improve energy access, especially in off-grid communities, but also support job creation, investment, and our climate commitments, adding that the partnership stands as a model of what meaningful South-South collaboration can achieve.
Earlier in his welcome address, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, DG/CEO of Energy Commission of Nigeria said: “China Energy Corporation has offered to bring its wealth of resources into the opportunities recently provided by the new direction in energy. We should recall that between 2023 and now, there have been major definitions of direction in energy by this administration, including amendment of the Nigerian constitution and signing into law of the Nigerian Electricity Act 2023, thereby opening the electricity sector up for states and other sub-national governments to regulate their respective electricity market.”
Abdullahi added that the scope of the MoU includes building green energy future, energy planning in support of Nigerian states towards developing their energy in alignment with the gazetted National Energy Masterplan and increasing energy resource utilization through solar, wind, hydro-electricity especially in off-grid communities.
He said, “We are expecting massive investments in the projects that will begin to come up from this relationship; we expect many sustainable jobs to be created for the Nigerian population across the states and this will further enhance energy security, which is our major goal.”In his Chairman of China Energy Engineering Company, Dr Song Hai Liang, said: “This agreement encompasses the implementation of Nigeria’s National Energy Master Plan, the establishment of the state and local energy planning and implementation teams, and the creation of China and Nigeria Green Energy Research Center.
“We will work together to make the China-Nigeria Green Energy Research Center a resounding success. Through strong collaboration and complementary expertise, we aim to establish it as a new benchmark for high-end, high-value cooperation in the China-Nigeria industrial chain.”In his speech, the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, represented by Mallam Muhammad Gambo Magaji, Commissioner for Finance, Gombe State, said: “We have no doubt that this MOU and the ensuing relationship between our organizations will signal critical steps in strengthening the institutional framework for subnational energy governance through fostering energy security, efficiency, and economic development across subnational states in the country.
It is crucial to acknowledge the transformative journey that Nigeria is embarking upon in the area of access to sustainable electricity, which includes renewable energy, particularly in the wake of the recently passed Electricity Act of 2023.”