Nigeria Takes Lead in Offering Electrical energy to 300m Africans
The Speaker of the Home of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen has mentioned Nigeria is assuming a continental management function within the race to affect Africa, with a daring goal to assist present electrical energy to 300 million Africans by the 12 months 2030.
This was as he additionally praised President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a $1 billion financing initiative for the Rural Electrification Company (REA) in December 2024.
He spoke whereas delivering the keynote on the opening of the First Legislative Convention and Expo on Renewable Vitality organized by the Home of Representatives Committee on Renewable Vitality chaired by Hon Afam Ogene, in collaboration with the United Nations Improvement Programme (UNDP), in Lagos yesterday.
Speaker Abbas mentioned Nigeria’s involvement within the Mission 300 Initiative, a collaborative effort with the World Financial institution and the African Improvement Financial institution (AfDB), exemplifies its dedication to advancing clear and inclusive vitality entry throughout Africa.
He mentioned this initiative is a powerful demonstration of Nigeria’s management on the continental stage.
“On the continental stage, Nigeria has assumed a management function. By our participation within the Mission 300 Initiative with the World Financial institution and the AfDB, we’re working to offer electrical energy to 3 hundred million Africans by 2030.
“Whereas progress has been made, the highway forward requires sustained effort. The success of this transition will depend on coherent actions throughout all establishments. Legislators should set up sound authorized foundations. The chief should implement with integrity and urgency. The personal sector should put money into innovation and scale. Civil society should foster consciousness, inclusion and accountability.
This convention, due to this fact, supplies a chance to reaffirm our shared dedication,” he mentioned.
Abbas urged that the momentum constructed thus far shouldn’t be allowed to dissipate and urged that the resolutions ought to result in concrete outcomes, together with mannequin laws, larger investments, and the adoption of recent applied sciences.
The Speaker used the platform to reaffirm Nigeria’s inside strides towards a clear vitality transition. He highlighted the legislative reforms championed by the tenth Home of Representatives, together with the current institution of a Standing Committee on Renewable Vitality, which coordinates nationwide efforts in increasing entry to wash energy.
“Our legislative agenda acknowledges vitality reform as central to our nationwide priorities. Strategic Goal 8.5 goals to advertise renewable vitality growth whereas making certain entry, effectivity, and environmental duty,” he mentioned.
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Amongst current legislative milestones, he cited the Home’s passage of recent tax reform payments that remove Worth Added Tax (VAT) on renewable vitality parts and Compressed Pure Fuel (CNG) applied sciences. These reforms, he mentioned, are designed to stimulate personal funding and improve affordability within the clear vitality sector.
He mentioned the Home can also be working to offer authorized backing for Nigeria’s Renewable Vitality and Vitality Effectivity Coverage (REEEP) of 2015, a framework that seeks to spice up renewable vitality adoption, curb greenhouse fuel emissions, and enhance vitality effectivity nationwide.
Abbas famous that the urgency to transition to wash vitality is not non-obligatory, citing international vitality traits that present a decisive shift towards renewables. He famous that in 2024, renewable vitality accounted for over 92 p.c of recent international energy era capability, pushed primarily by photo voltaic and wind, bringing the world’s whole put in capability to over 4,448 gigawatts, a 15 per cent year-on-year improve.
He additionally referenced worldwide funding figures from 2023, the place $1.7 trillion of the $2.8 trillion whole international vitality funding was directed towards renewable vitality, vitality effectivity, and electrical mobility.
“It is a structural reorientation of the worldwide vitality economic system,” Abbas mentioned. “Nigeria should align with this actuality to remain related, aggressive, and environmentally accountable.”
He pointed to legislative successes in international locations resembling Egypt, Germany, and members of the European Union, the place sturdy authorized frameworks have accelerated clear vitality growth. He referred to as for African parliaments to emulate such examples by means of sturdy legal guidelines, decentralized vitality methods, and assist for unbiased energy producers.
He recommended the Tinubu administration for key vitality coverage reforms, significantly the Electrical energy Act of 2023, which devolved management over the facility sector to sub-national governments, thus encouraging localized vitality options and private-sector participation.
He mentioned of the $1 billion accepted by President Tinubu, $750 million is earmarked for increasing photo voltaic entry in underserved areas, ensuing within the deployment of 124 mini-grids and over 25,000 photo voltaic house techniques, benefiting greater than 200,000 Nigerians.
“Such daring investments are game-changers. They present what is feasible when coverage, financing, and laws align,” he mentioned.
The Speaker reiterated Nigeria’s dedication to its Vitality Transition Plan, which lays out a path to reaching net-zero emissions by 2060. He additionally welcomed the launch of the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Coverage in March 2025, aimed toward unlocking local weather finance and enhancing venture viability.
He emphasised that legislative assist, coverage innovation, and private-sector engagement are all required for the success of Nigeria’s inexperienced transition.
Abbas mentioned legislators should enact and implement sturdy authorized foundations, whereas the chief department should implement these insurance policies with urgency and integrity.
“The personal sector should make investments boldly, and civil society should foster consciousness, inclusion, and accountability,” he added.
He urged contributors to take full benefit of the convention to develop concrete resolutions, mannequin laws, and partnerships that may ship tangible outcomes.
