Yemisi Izuora
The campaign to boost Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market will generate about one million jobs, says Nigeria LPG Association(NLPGA)
The country it said would gain about $10.38 billion if 50percent of its population switch
to LPG otherwise called cooking gas by 2018.
President of Nigeria LPG Association(NLPGA),Mr Dayo Adeshina who spoke at the weekend in Lagos ahead of the association’s annual conference expressed disappointment that a large section of the population still consume kerosene at the expense of cleaner fuels like cooking gas which can save over 55 percent of Nigeria’s primary forest .
According to him, between 500,000 and 1 million jobs can be created in the LPG value
chain, in the next 2 years if the kerosene to LPG switch program is implemented nationwide
He said over 400,000 lives would be saved from pollution related health issues through LPG promotion in Nigeria which would ensure reduction in deforestation ,carbon emission into the atmosphere and increased tax Revenue for government at various levels
He added that the Federal government can claim carbon credits if the Fuel switching
program can be implemented on a massive scale nationwide,while the power peneration sector can also take advantage of the LPG fired generators and turbines.
He said the LPG sector in Nigeria is still being challenged by factors such as massive inadequate supply of cooking gas equipment,insufficient number of jetties and few LPG inland storage facilities,which has stunted the consumption of the product in the country.
He also said the sector is affected increase in price of LPG due to logistic issues,excessive import duties and VAT on LP Gas equipment, inadequate road and transport network facilities and cumbersome access to long-term funds for LPG project is cumbersome.
He said:’’ There is no major policy that encourages widely promoted green projects
(e.g. auto gas, power generation etc) using LPG in order to stimulate the rapid growth of the industry’’.
Adeshina advocated the need for national policy on LPG and the renewed efforts on the part of tiers of government in the country to promote the consumption of cooking gas in the country.
He said this year’s conference,with the theme, LPG: The Future is Now!,would be used to draw government and other stakeholders attention to the prospects of the LPG sector and the need to adequately tap same.