Nigeria Partners With China To Advance Clean Energy Initiatives
By Temitope Mustapha, Abuja
Nigeria and China have shared a common view on new and clean energies, agreeing to sufficiently financed, developed, and operationalised clean energy before demand ecosystems occur.
Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action SPEC, and Coordinator of all Climate Related Matters in Nigeria, Ajuri Ngelale made this known during a bilateral meeting with the Chinese Ecology Minister, Mr. Zhao Yingmin, who represented China’s Special Envoy on Climate.
In a brief statement made available to Journalists at the State House, Abuja, Ngelale said that numerous important areas of mutual concern and cooperation in the sphere of climate action were broached at the meeting.
He said that “part of the inclusive motive of the Nigerian government in developing a truly circular economy amid several efforts to improve on value chain localisation across renewable energy technology manufacturing industries is to facilitate smooth energy transition on a mass scale for the Nigerian workers.”
“I communicated Nigeria’s position relating to its development of a truly circular economy amid its new push for value chain localisation across renewable energy technology manufacturing industries and the need for Nigerian workers to benefit from the energy transition on a mass scale. I further emphasised that China’s new Africa Solar Belt programme will be incomplete if it does not inculcate supply chain diversification into developing markets, especially Africa’s largest market. This point was well received by the Chinese side with further discussion expected in this direction in the time to come.
“Later on Thursday, a congested schedule and an upcoming return flight to Abuja forced me to depart early during lunch to attend an important bilateral meeting with China’s Ecology Minister, Mr. Zhao Yingmin. He represented my counterpart, China’s Special Envoy on Climate, who was out of the country on official duty. During this meeting, we discussed numerous important areas of mutual concern and cooperation in climate action,” Ngelale explained.
He said; “The Nigerian and Chinese sides share the view that new and clean energies must be sufficiently financed, developed, and operationalised before any attempt at modifying traditional energy supply and demand ecosystems can occur. The old supports the development of the new and the new must enhance, rather than cancel, the old. This is the perspective.”
Speaking on other areas of mutual concern and cooperation in the sphere of climate action, Ngelale said that “the countries further exchanged views on strategies to deepening coordinated synergies within multilateral fora in the areas of shared common perspectives.
“The two sides also exchanged views on how to deepen coordinated collaboration within multilateral fora in the areas where we share common perspectives and approaches with respect to the various ways in which climate change is impacting emerging markets in the global south.”
Additionally, he discussed advancing technical cooperation in afforestation and counter-desertification with the Chinese Ecology Minister.
Ngelale said the two countries have agreed to jointly empower Nigerian populations in the Lake Chad region and other parts of the country on sustainable economic opportunity in the process of building a resilient climate actions.
“We also agreed to advance technical cooperation in afforestation and counter-desertification efforts that seek to empower vulnerable Nigerian populations in the Lake Chad region and in different parts of the country to find sustainable economic opportunity in the process of building our nation’s climate resiliency,” he stated.
Ngelale added that Nigeria’s active carbon sink development is part of the recent gains for the people and the environment.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
