Yemisi Izuora
The Federal Government has restated its commitment to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to industrial clusters in the country.
To achieve this, the government has announced a new partnership with the German Government through the Deutshe Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) which will work with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), to conduct an energy audit for the industrial sector.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, who disclosed this during a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Power, GIZ, MAN, in Abuja explained that the initiative was critical to the successful implementation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and that it would also enable the Federal Government to direct adequate power to existing and potential industrial areas across the country.
The minister said, “There are a number of programmes and initiatives we are jointly working on together with the German Government but this particular project on power audit for our industrial sector is far more important to us today than when the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan was launched by President Goodluck Jonathan as part of strategies to diversify the Nigerian economy.
“What the collaboration with the GIZ will do is to help address the enablers of the NIRP, one of which is power infrastructure. Already, the Federal Government has approved the conversion of 23 existing Industrial Development Centres (IDCs) across the country into Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Industrial Parks.
“However, there is the need to know the power requirements of the existing industrial areas and the proposed industrial cities and parks which we have identified so that, working together with the Ministry of Power, GIZ, MAN, and other stakeholders, the Federal Government will be able to provide uninterrupted power to these industries because power is critical to industrial growth and development.”
The minister added that the energy audit would also enable the government to plan for immediate and future energy requirements of the industrial sector.
He said, “The energy audit project with GIZ is so exciting and very important to us as it will enable us to determine the energy consumption of industries, what it is currently and what it will be going forward. We must be able to plan in order to meet the energy requirements of our industries because one of our utmost priority is how to ensure power sufficiency for the industrial areas across the country.”
Speaking during the meeting, the President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Frank Jacobs, described the initiative as a welcome development, adding that it would provide reliable baseline information on the energy needs of the manufacturing sector and ensure that adequate power is channeled to industrial areas for improved capacity utilization.
“This initiative is a welcome development for us in the manufacturing sector because it will provide the baseline information on energy consumption needs of the manufacturing sector and how power can be channeled to industrial areas across the country,” he said.
In her remarks, the Programme Management and Energy Advisor, GIZ, Anke Maria Muller, said the agency was committed to working with the Nigerian government towards ensuring optimal energy management and efficiency.
She said, “Under the Nigerian Energy Support Programme, GIZ is committed to ensuring efficient energy systems in the industrial areas in Nigeria. We are delighted and committed to working with the Nigerian government and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria to conduct a survey of power demand and energy consumption in the manufacturing sector.”