Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, APWEN is leading the discussion around energy transition saying the time is now for women to take the advantage of the opportunities to carve a niche for themselves nationally and globally.
The association was leveraging the federal government that recently launched an energy transition plan aimed at boosting investments for energy project development to address increasing energy poverty and ensure energy sustainability.
This plan includes Nigeria ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all of its 200 million people by the year 2030 and achieving net-zero by the year 2060 through massive investments in oil, gas, solar and other modern energy technologies such as hydrogen and electric vehicles.
Speaking on the theme, “Just Energy Transition: An Enabler for Sustainable Development in Nigeria”, the president of the Association, speaking at the press conference of the 2022 APWEN National Conference in Abuja, Engr. Elizabeth Eterigho disclosed that the association is focusing on this theme as stakeholders and investors in the implementation of the energy transition plan.
The conference started with an awareness walk and then the Meet and Greet which is the first of its kind since APWEN started.
“There is no doubt that the present power crisis afflicting Nigeria will persist unless the government diversifies the energy sources in domestic, commercial, and industrial sectors and adopts new available technologies to reduce energy wastages and to save cost”, she said.
She noted that as female engineers, it is pertinent to take advantage of the federal government’s energy transition plan on new opportunities for solar energy companies to obtain results-based finance from the Universal Energy Facility.
“As female engineers, doing justice to the theme would enable individuals, particularly, corporate organizations on how to key into the transition plan to make the best of our technology investments in providing modern and sustainable energy in Nigeria”, she said.
Eterigho lamented that in Nigeria the power sector has been comatose for many years coupled with frequent collapse of our national grid.
“Our source of energy is not renewable resulting in high carbon, leading to environmental pollution. However, transition of the energy sector will require significant investments.
“As we all know traditional fossil fuel exporting countries are seeking how to leverage the change in demand patterns that are being brought about by the energy transition and as a momentum to decarbonize their economies and Nigeria should not be left behind.
“A just energy transition is a transition towards a sustainable, low carbon and equitable energy system that is aimed at improving the lives of people and sustains the environment.
“Access to clean modern energy services is an enormous challenge facing the African continent particularly, Nigeria because energy is fundamental for socioeconomic development and poverty eradication.
In her reaction, Deputy President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Margret Oguntala reiterated that the role of female engineers in nation building is to design and develop ways of improving the lifestyle of people and building sustainable cities around the world, particularly sustainable development.
“Women bring to the table things that she is naturally wired to do. Women are more intuitive and are able to plan naturally. Women add value to the engineering world.
“Engineering is a thing of the mind, more of mental work than physical and women have been able to prove themselves over the years. Politically, men have dominated the scene for a long time because of their numerical advantage. However, they have been supportive in encouraging, and enhancing the capacity of women and making them excel.
“Men in engineering are helpful in terms of donation, technical papers. Last year, NSE broke the glass ceiling by electing the first female deputy president who would automatically become the president of the NSE in January 2024”, she stated.
Source: Vanguard
