The 2019 Future Energy Nigeria Conference and Exhibition, slated for November 12 to 13 at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos will examine the various aspect of Nigeria’s electricity concerns, the organizers have declared.
This was disclosed at a press briefing attended by stakeholders including Godwin Aigbokha, Head, Energy and Environment, DGIC International Business Services, Pradipta Mitra, Market Research specialist, Greenville LNG, George Kai, Marketing Manager, Jubaili Bros Engineering and Mrs Anita Okuribido, President, Women in Renewable Energy Association.
According to Ade Yesufu, head of sales, East and West Africa at Clarion Energy, organiser of the event, this year’s event will focus on bridging Nigeria’s energy access gap through off-grid generation projects as well as on regulator’s plan to franchise the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos).
The expo will bring together officials from the DisCos, power generation companies and regulatory bodies in a session to find solutions to the challenges facing the sector.
Speaking at a press briefing on November 5, 2019, Yesufu said:
“Our focus is on finding solutions to these problems rather than just talking about problems; how to make the sector more profitable to attract investments and what kind of reforms are needed, are our key focus.”
To this end, the conference will be featuring a high-panel session titled “Bridging Nigeria’s Energy Access Gap” which will spotlight the prospects of the off-grid market, projects of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and its potential for increasing access rates to the communities.
Lined up for the two-day expos are at least four sessions of presentations and panel discussions from industry experts and stakeholders and top government functionaries. This includes a panel session on how DisCos can utilise the provisions of the Eligible Customer declaration, a discussion around recent regulations including Meter Asset Provider (MAP) and DisCo Franchising, a critical analysis of the recapitalization theory in the energy sector and training on solar off-grid and IPU.
The press briefing featured an interactive session with the media, whereby the stakeholders expressed their views on the current energy situation in the country. They urged the government to make the renewable energy sector attractive for investment through policies and by embracing new technologies. Noting that Nigeria lags behind Niger and Cameroon in renewable energy, they were, however, optimistic that Nigeria will catch up with other countries with the implementation of the right policies.
The forthcoming conference, themed “Advancing Partnerships and Solutions for a Sustainable Energy Economy,” will focus on the value chain and seek ways to provide solutions to the power challenges as well as empower youths for improved capacity development, according to Yesufu.
The High Commissioner of India to Nigeria, Abhay Thakur, is expected to deliver a keynote address on “India’s Interest in Working with the Nigerian Power and Energy Ecosystem” at the expo.
The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) returns to Future Energy Nigeria as the featured country partner for the third year in a row, hosting a pavilion of almost 50 suppliers of specialized technology and services for the energy sector. Expected guests at the two-day event include James Momoh, chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Ebipere Clark, Acting Special Assistant (Energy) to the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, and Chiedu Ugbo, Managing Director/CEO Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), among others.
Source: The Sun
