BY AKUDORO GLORIA
Nigeria and Egypt have announced their dedication to strengthening bilateral cooperation in energy expansion with the focus on renewable energy and rural electrification.
This commitment was affirmed when the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu played host to Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, in his office in Abuja, recently.
Adelabu, in his address to the Egyptian envoy, said that the pursuit of rural development through improved electricity access, aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which underscores electricity as a fundamental right for all Nigerians.
He highlighted Nigeria’s efforts to connect remote rural areas to power through renewable energy initiatives while also citing the economic challenges of extending the national grid to these regions.
“Many rural areas cannot be connected to the grid due to economic constraints, but we cannot neglect them. Through our renewable energy program, we are bridging this gap.
“We have secured significant investments, including $750 million from the World Bank’s DARES project and an additional $190 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to support this initiative,” Adelabu stated.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s abundant renewable energy resources, including solar, wind, and hydroelectric potential, and expressed the government’s determination to harness these resources for sustainable energy access.
Adelabu lauded Egypt’s achievements in the energy sector, describing the country as a role model in energy infrastructure development. He conveyed Nigeria’s eagerness to draw lessons from Egypt’s expertise in energy generation, transmission, and distribution, adding that the Egypt’s success precipitated collaboration with Siemens with aimed at to stabilizing Nigeria’s power sector.
“Egypt has made remarkable strides in energy transformation, and we are eager to collaborate and learn from your expertise. Our goal is to ensure reliable, stable, and affordable energy access for all Nigerians,” he said.
In a statement issued issued on Sunday by Bolaji Tunji, Minister’s Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, the Minister outlined Nigeria’s progress in the power sector since he assumed office 17 months ago, stressing that access to electricity has been expanded to bridge noticeable gaps.
Adelabu recognized challenges in grid reliability, obsolete infrastructure, and metering gaps, which the government is addressing through initiatives like the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI).
On his part, Ambassador Fouad expressed Egypt’s enthusiasm for collaborating with Nigeria, particularly in closing the metering gap and sharing best practices in energy access. He emphasized the shared goals and mutual benefits of strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.
He said: “Nigeria and Egypt have much in common and there is immense potential for collaboration in the energy sector. We are committed to working together to achieve sustainable energy solutions for both countries.”
While commending Adelabu’s commitment towards the expansion of power access across Nigeria, Ambassador Fouad urged the activation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on power projects between the two countries.
“Nigeria and Egypt had a Memoranda of Understanding about power projects. We should activate the MOU and maybe we can start by holding virtual meetings, talking to each other to see if there are areas where we can learn from each other, because power is an ambitious plan especially, when it comes to renewable energy.
“We want to increase the contribution of the renewable energy to our overall electricity production to 42 percent by 2035. Now, it stands at 14 percent. This is because fossil fuel is now the main thing.
“Our electricity comes fundamentally from gas, of course similar to Nigeria. Also like Nigeria, we are blessed with solar and wind to power our renewable energy. We need the cooperation of Nigeria in this area. We are looking forward towards you visiting us on this important exchange of ideas.”
The meeting underscored the growing partnership between Nigeria and Egypt in advancing energy access and renewable energy development, with both nations poised to leverage their shared resources and expertise for mutual growth, according to the statement.
