Dr Patrick Tolani, CEO , Community Energy Social Enterprise Ltd.(CESEL) has called for a summit to check and review the problems in the renewable energy sector to achieve set targets.
He said this on Wednesday at a two-day stakeholders engagement on Finance for rural electrification and the renewable energy sector in Abuja.
Tolani, who is also a member of the Advisory board, Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria said the call is going to identify the existing underlying issues that have weighed on the sector.
According to him , Nigeria is not delivering to target as over 1$bn have been awarded to the sector but not up up to 10% of that has been utilized due to faulty prepositions that are not working.
‘Let us get back to the drawing board and review the problems and also make amends,we wanted to deliver 10,000 mini-grids but at this point,we have delivered less than 300 mini-grids”, he said.
He said it was critical for stakeholders to sit together as a critical evaluation needs to be carried out in order to better evaluate and review policies in the sector.
“Policies are meant to be a continuous process , firstly you need to identify and set agendas, formulate, adopt executive policy, which will then be reviewed and evaluated”, Tolani said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) show its global commitment towards embracing sustainable development measures that limit the rate of global warming .
He said “We have also upscaled from our 45% to 47% commitment ,so we need to come together and discuss on how the renewable energy sector can be significantly involved in this.”
Jochen Luckscheiter,Country Director, Heinrich Boll Stiftung in his address said If Nigeria was to realise its vision 30:30:30 and rural electrification targets as planned, we ought to be speaking of mini-grid deployment in their hundreds by now.
Over the years, Nigeria has put in place the requisite policies, regulations, institutions and targets to increase rural electrification rates and the renewable energy capacity in the country.”
This, he said included among others, the revitalisation of the Rural Electrification Agency and Fund through the Rural Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan .
Also through the introduction of the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy with its accompanying vision of 30:30:30.
“The REF has implemented two investment calls to boost rural electrification through, decentralised renewable energy and has successfully gone through its early stage development .
“They have also scaled through important learning curves, a phase of rapid growth but scaling of projects has so far failed to materialise.
” Of course things are always easier said than done,” he said
