By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Nigerian Government with financial support from the European Union and Germany on Monday launched a One-Stop Online Investment Platform to improve Renewable Energy Efficiency in the country
The Federal Government was represented by Federal Ministry of Power; the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), at the launch in Abuja.
The platform was launched within the framework of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), a technical assistance programme, co-funded by the EU and the German Government, and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in collaboration with the Federa Ministry of Power.
The platform (greenenergyinvestment.com.ng) is a digital platform which provides easy access to relevant information for investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Nigeria.
Built through the cooperation of public, private and financial sector partners, the platform presents technical, regulatory, and economic information aimed at de-risking projects and scaling up investments in the sector.
In a welcome address, the Executive Secretary of NIPC, Ms. Yewande Sadiku expressed the commitment of the Commission to promoting increased investments in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector in Nigeria.
According to her, the platform will help potential investors to get easy access to the high quality information they need to make faster and better informed decisions about investing in Nigeria’s green economy.
The Director of Renewable and Rural Power access of the Power Ministry, Engr Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the platform would help improve the technical and economic viability of the Nigerian power sector for increased investments in RE/EE projects to promote power supply.
Also speaking, the Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Kurt Cornelis, noted that the platform would be of immense benefit to the critical sector of the Nigerian economy.
“We are glad to support the Nigerian government in providing interactive opportunities for investors to assess the viability of projects in Nigeria through the provision of relevant project and contact information in the sector,” he said.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of REA, Mr. Ahmad Salihijo restated the importance and relevance of the One-Stop Investment Platform to the industry, noting that the initiative would help boost investments and enhance energy access for economic development.
According to the Head of Nigerian Energy Support Program, Mr Duke Benjamin, the Platform includes an overview section about the Nigerian renewable energy and energy efficiency sector and investment opportunities.
“Furthermore, the platform includes a networking tool for investors to interact with public and private stakeholders and an energy efficiency calculator for commercial and residential buildings and industries”, he explained.
A statement by the NESP on Monday explained that “the information on the platform will be updated regularly to reflect the current state of listed projects and opportunities for investments in the Nigerian electricity sector”.
