Nigeria’s Power Program Gets Boost with UK Solar Power Agreement
The Federal Government has gotten support for its power program with the signing of an agreement with the United Kingdom on the use of solar energy to provide electricity to rural people.
Vice President Yemi Osinbanjo, who led Nigeria’s delegation to the event which held at the Facebook Headquarters, signed on behalf of the Federal Government while the UK Minister of State for International Development, Mr. Grant Shapps, signed on behalf of the UK Government.
The event was performed shortly after the launch of the Africa Energy Campaign initiated by the U.K. Department for International Development.
Osinbajo said his presence at the launch was to underscore Nigeria’s commitment to the national and regional effort to improve accessibility to power, especially solar power for our peoples.
According to him, Nigeria will do its best to ensure that the campaign to boost supply and consumption of solar energy is invigorated and gave an assurance that the Federal Government would work closely with the DFID.
He said that the program was an opportunity for Africa, adding that the advantage of the launch was that the partners could bring universal access to energy.
Osinbajo noted that the use of kerosene had created a lot of safety and environmental issues, adding that “a default energy source should be solar and the option was not available for so long, but now it is cheaper, safer, and more environmentally friendly’’.
While observing that the campaign was an opportunity for investment which could get a boom such as was experienced in the telecommunications sector in the country, Osinbajo said that Nigerian market provided the greatest opportunity for the use of small scale solar solutions, adding that the country would be the ideal base to push the solar solution in the continent.
The VP urged those who would drive the campaign to also determine the effective cost that would not further impoverish the poor.
