From Felix Ikem, Nsukka

Prof Eli Bala, the Director-General, Energy Centre of Nigeria (ECN), has said that over 50 per cent of the African population has no access to electricity, according to recent data by United Nations.

Bala said this in Nsukka on Thursday during the 5th International Conference and workshop for Energy Sustainable Development in Africa held at National Centre for Energy Research and Development, (NCERD) at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, (UNN), with the theme; “Sustainable Energy: The Solution To Post Covid-19 Energy Crisis in Africa.”

He said the consequences of this deprivation had manifested in increased health, socioeconomic and environmental problems, among others.

According to him “Africa even before the Covid-19 outbreak was the most energy-poor region in the world.

“Its energy use per capita is around one-third of the world’s average. The most recent data by the United Nations shows that over 50 per cent of the continent’s population has no access to electricity.

“The consequence of such derivation are immense and are manifested in increased health, socioeconomic and environmental problems,” he said.

The DG said further that “today it is globally entrenched that sustainable energy should ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern forms of energy for all.

“Post pandemic requires that Africa should develop its huge potential of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy sources to enhance investment, national development, technology transfer, among others,” he said

Bala assured that the commission will continue to set the pace in strategic planning and coordination of national policies in the field of energy, as well as liaise and collaborate with international organizations for sustainable energy development in Nigeria and Africa.

Prof Charles Igwe, the Vice-Chancellor of UNN while flagging off the workshop said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was felt by all, adding that both students and staff of various institutions were forced out of classes.

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“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was felt by all and sundry. The academic community was not exempted either, as both students and the staff of various institutions were forced out of physical classes and compelled to device non-contact means of continuing academic activities, mostly online.

“Africa is being blessed with all forms of renewable energy, yet Africa trails far behind in the race for transition to clean energy and net-zero carbon emissions effect.

“The future implementations of these are easily predictable as energy poverty, economic losses and climate change issues if the trend is not quickly reversed,” he said

The VC, who was represented by Prof Johnson Uramah, Deputy VC (Academic), commended the NCERD for the workshop and the wonderful relationship that exists between UNN and the commission.

In his welcome address, Mr Izuchukwu Okafor, Acting Director, NCERD, UNN said that energy is fundamental to all human activities and inadequate supply of energy restricts socio-economic activities, hampers any meaningful development in all sectors of the economy and adversely affects the quality of life.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the sustainable energy solutions in Africa and therefore calls for drastic measures in addressing the issues of achieving the affordable, reliable and cleaner energy for all in the year 2030.

“There is no doubt that renewable and alternative energy technologies have a very critical role to play towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-7, which hinges on having access to affordable, reliable and cleaner energy for all in the year 2030.

“Thus, investing extensively in the renewable and alternative energy technologies in Nigeria and Africa, in general, will certainly go a long way in solving the energy crises in Africa; motivate economic growth and sustainable environment needed for quick recovery from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Also, Prof Abubakar Sambo, ex-DG of ECN and the chairman of the occasion in remark virtually identified the main challenges of the energy sector in Africa to include: inadequate infrastructure, funding and bad governance as a result of corruption.

Sambo said, “unless these obstacles were overcome in African majority of people living in the continent would continue to have no access to electricity.”