PIND, REAN Collaborate On Renewable Energy Access Roadshow In The Niger Delta

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), in collaboration with the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN), held an energy access roadshow in Warri, Delta State, on March 28 and Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on March 30 targeted at stakeholders in the Niger Delta renewable energy space.

The events promoted clean energy sources, highlighted business opportunities within the renewable energy space, and included capacity-building sessions for MSMEs to equip them with information on facilitating business growth. The roadshow, themed “Driving Energy Transition Through Renewable Energy,” is part of a nationwide initiative by REAN.

Participants included representatives from Nigeria’s Energy Transition Office, Oando Clean Energy, the GIZ’s Green Hydrogen Project, the Heinrich Boll Foundation, the Sustainable Energy Practitioner’s Association of Nigeria (SEPAN), and Rivers State Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, among other energy solution providers and investors.

Alfred Ohoh, who represented the Nigeria Energy Transition office, in a statement, assured attendees at the event that there is a vast market in the renewable energy space. He said Nigeria has about 175 million people without clean cooking solutions, while 92 million lack electricity access. He then urged stakeholders to seize opportunities in the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan (ETP).

The President of REAN, Ayo Adimulua, stated that Nigeria was still at a very early stage in renewable energy consumption and emphasized the association’s commitment to assisting the Federal Government in actualizing the ETP.

PIND’s Access to Energy (A2E) Manager, Teslim Giwa, noted that the national grid does not reach many Niger Delta coastal communities, which have about 12 million residents. He, however, added that PIND was working towards facilitating alternative clean energy solutions for these mostly remote coastal communities.

“We have a lot of data to suggest that livelihoods have been improved thanks to these interventions,” he said. “Many of the small businesses in these communities are making more money. The renewable energy developers PIND collaborate with to facilitate these solutions also see returns on their investments. The biggest testament to that is that they are scaling up without additional support.”

PIND’s vision through its A2E project is to light up the Niger Delta one community at a time. PIND’s A2E model facilitates access to clean, renewable energy at a very affordable cost for communities and reduces the investment risks for commercial power developers who install solar energy grids and other modern energy solutions.