VON, Energy Commission to Partner On Climate Change mitigation
By Chioma Eche, Abuja
The National Director, Nigeria Sustainable Cooling Project and the Acting Director linkages, Research, Energy Commission of Nigeria, Samaila Gambo- Zaku, says there is a need for increase in awareness and support for promotional campaigns to bring about ownership and buy-in in Nigeria with respect to clean cooling in the country.
Gambo- Zaku, stated this when he led a delegation from the Commission on a courtesy call to Voice of Nigeria, in Abuja.
He said the courtesy call was part of the efforts to engage with voice of Nigeria as key stakeholders in the media and communication sector, as well as to support, Nigeria Sustainable Cooling Project.
Highlighting the importance of this technology in mitigating the effects of Climate Change in Nigeria, the Director, said that the project, which is to speed up the transition of energy-efficient ACs with climate friendly, in residential, commercial and public buildings would reduce the effect of climate change.
This is a project that, Nigeria Sustainable Cooling Project, that the Energy Commission of Nigeria is carrying out in collaboration with the United Nations Environment fund in Nigeria we are taking about this Climate change and Energy transmission.
So Energy Commission looked at ways that would fight against Climate change, so we pick one area, Sustainable Cooling Project which, Voice of Nigeria is one stakeholder that will help us to propagate, create awareness and let the world know about this energy efficiency. He said
Speaking further on the project, a Communication Expert, Nkechi Isaac, stressed the importance of the project in enhancing human comfort and safety while curbing the country’s excessive Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission.
According to her, the project is aimed at accelerating the transition to energy-efficient ACs with climate-friendly low-GWP refrigerant in residential, commercial and public buildings, thereby contributing to meeting Nigeria’s climate targets NDCs in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.
She called on Nigerians to embrace sustainable Cooling practices and making a positive impact on global warming to pave way for a greener, more sustainable world.
“At a time when environmental sustainability is of uttermost importance, the adoption of energy-efficient technologies such as air conditioners serves as a tangible step towards building a more resilient and eco-friendly future”.
“Recently you see that the weather has become so extremely hot that you wonder whether they are lighting a fire somewhere. Its part of what climate change has brought to the world. Now if you see Nigeria’s nationally determined contributions, we have prepared to contribute 20% with our own hand and then 47% with help from other organizations. So as part of this project, a study conducted recently, shows that about 60% of energy consumption comes from refrigerants from cooling”.
“This projects been funded by the clean collaborative with support from the United Nations Environmental Program that is the technical support, and it’s being implemented by the NIH Energy Coalition of Nigeria in Nigeria, Now, the crux of this project is to focus on reducing air conditioners power consumption, so that we reduce the impact that these refrigerants have on the environment from climate change” she emphasized.
” This is part of what we are trying to help Nigeria achieved its nationally determined contributions, when it comes to climate change, mitigating and the effects of climate change” She stressed.
In his remarks the Director-General of Voice Nigeria, Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, reiterated Voice of Nigeria commitment, as part of efforts to deepen partnership between the two Agencies, saying VON will help to amplify the stories and activities of the sustainable Cooling project.
“In fact everybody is batting this, you wonder you ask sometimes you own the air conditioners just recently, Sudan had to close their schools because the children take the heat”.
“And when you travel sometimes the turbulence that you go through when flying you may even regret and wish you never did. But again if you look at it, every technology is important”.
“What you’re doing now is in line with global best practices no matter what to do especially that you are partnering with intentional organization if you do not shape the narrative and create positive narrative even the fund will not come.
so I want to assure you that you have come home, Voice of Nigeria, on this project and all other projects, we are available to carry all your stories to amplify it, to tell it to retell it to Nigerians and the world” he said
Baba-Ndace, said that Voice of Nigeria is willing to broadcast the good works being done by the agency in creating awareness and educate Nigerians on all VON platforms through content development.
He also revealed that he is working on starting broadcast in Mandarin, Portuguese and most likely Pidgin English in addition to the existing 8 languages of broadcast.
The cooling project was launched in September 2020, by Clean Cooling Collaborative and Climate Works Foundation, a non-profit organization based in San Fransico, California.
Recognizing that Nigeria is the largest market for cooling in Africa and one of the fastest growing in the world, the Energy Commission of Nigeria in pursuant of its legal mandate on strategic planning and coordination of national policies in the field of energy in all its outcome submitted a proposal on: “Scaling Up Energy-Efficient and Climate-Friendly Cooling in Nigeria’s NDC Revision” and the request was approved for implementation within 3 years with technical assistance from the United Nations Environment Programme – Africa (UNEP Africa).
The project activities also focuses on: Inclusion of cooling targets in the NDC implementation plan; Development of policy framework to accelerate transition to Energy Efficient AC through national cooling plan; Awareness campaigns/sensitization among the general public and businesses for behavioral change and Capacity building programmes.
The Communications strategy is mainly to capture and convey project’s activities, outcomes, outputs, the lessons learned, good practices and experiences for the popularization of energy-efficient air conditioning among ACs producers, distributors, retailers, consumers, repairers/technicians and policy-makers/government in Nigeria.
It is to increase awareness and support promotional campaigns to bring about ownership and buy-in in Nigeria with respect to clean cooling.
The strategy is for the promotion of energy-efficient air-conditioners in Nigeria and prioritizes sustainable cooling as the nation’s key climate change mitigation measures.
