Germany and Nigeria are set to foster cooperation in the transition to clean, sustainable energy sources, in the face of global focus from fossil fuel to clean energy sources.
The Deputy German Ambassador to Nigeria, Johannes Lehne stated this in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, at the SustyVibes National Open Dialogue on Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan with support of the Nigerian-German Hydrogen Office.
Ambassador Lehne said Germany is proud to be part of this global effort towards energy transition and is committed to working with Nigeria and other nations to create an energy landscape that is sustainable, inclusive, and environmentally responsible.
“Our commitment to this endeavor is further underscored by our financial support through programmes such as the Nigerian Energy Support Programme, co-financed with the European Union, and the German-Nigerian Hydrogen Office, part of the Global Hydrogen Diplomacy Programme financed by the German Federal Foreign Office.”
He noted that SustyVibes is a remarkable non-profit organisation composed of passionate youth groups dedicated to environmental and climate action.
Ambassador Lehne said this is a testament to the determination and innovation of Nigeria’s young people who are driving positive change for their country and indeed, the world.
The envoy disclosed that as part of the project almost a thousand young Nigerians are being trained in a six-week workshop on biodiversity from policy to practice.
An Energy Transition Plan, Analyst, Somkele Awa-Kalu, said there is nothing that stops youth from channeling their expertise into renewable energy.
Mr. Awa-Kalu said as the world is moving towards renewable energy as the source of electricity, he urged youths in Nigeria to explore skills in different aspects of renewable energy to get employed.
“We have to think about what we do to repurpose those jobs that are lost. We are a youth led population; I think it is easy for us to grasp the basics when it comes to move from one job to another.”
He said as the world tilt towards renewable energy, there will be employment opportunities that come as a result of that.
The Head of German/Nigeria Hydrogen Office, Gina Lagunes, said the sector would require engineers in the scale up to renewable energy to produce the green Hydrogen that the world will needs.
“So, we will need a lot of people working in renewable energy sector like solar, wind turbines, geo thermal, small hydro power policy and market analyst. It will be a whole industry and we need a lot of labour for that.”
The SustyVibes National Energy Transition Dialogue is aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of the Energy Transition Plan (ETP) among young people as well as enhance the engagement and participation of young people in shaping Nigeria’s energy future.
The Dialogue is organised with support of the Nigerian-German Hydrogen Office.
The German-Nigerian Hydrogen Office forms part of the Global Hydrogen Diplomacy project which is financed by the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, which aims to build local capacity in green hydrogen.
