Nigeria Elected Member of IRENA Council for Two Years

Nigeria has been elected a member of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Council for the next two years. The election was done on Sunday at the closing session of the 13th Assembly of the international organisation.

Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), Prof. Eli Jidere Bala, who was present at the event lauded the development, especially at the time that the country is pushing towards energy transition. Apart from bringing Nigeria to the forefront of global discussion and decision-making in terms of cleaner energy, Bala said the development would enable the country to discuss finance and investment into renewable energy at the international stage.

The Nigerian Ambassador to UAE, H.E. Amb. Mohammed Dansanta Rimi; IRENA DG, Francesco La Camera; DG, ECN, Prof. Eli Jidere Bala and IRENA Snr. Programme Officer, Dr. Ricardo at the lunching

The 13th session of the Assembly, which brought together the 168 membership countries equally appointed the incumbent Director-General, Francesco La Camera for a second term of four years.

The IRENA Members also agreed on the Agency’s Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) till 2027, a development which would allow the agency to focus on urgent and targeted action, unparalleled international cooperation, and continuous innovation.

La Camera said: “We must build a new energy system with the tools and systems of the future, not the past. Just as we innovate to improve technologies, we must innovate to reimagine international cooperation for the new energy era.

“A renewables-based transition is a vehicle for climate-proof energy systems, improved energy security, reduced inequality and long-overdue universal access. I am deeply humbled to have been appointed for a new term as Director-General. I will continue to work tirelessly to realise IRENA’s new global mission.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations earlier asked countries across the world to triple energy transition investment to $4 trillion a year despite the global energy crisis due to Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine.

This is coming as global energy leaders gathered yesterday at the 13th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to dialogue on options and assess progress on climate change ahead of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28) later this year.

To save the planet, countries across the world, including Nigeria have committed to net-zero goals but prevailing development, especially COVID-19 and the Ukraine war have thrown global projections off balance with serious energy and supply chain disruption.

The resolution for members of IRENA hinted on Short-term actions would accelerate the energy transition in the coming years and course correct the 1.5°C pathway to 2050.

Secretary-General António Guterres said at the event that projected 2.8 degrees of global warming by the end of the century remained disastrous, adding that there was a need to remove intellectual property barriers and treat key renewable technologies, including energy storage, as global public goods. Calling for diversification and increased access to supply chains for raw materials and components for renewables technologies, Guterres said decision-makers must grant approval for sustainable projects.

According to him, subsidies must shift from fossil fuels to clean and affordable energy “The price of renewable technologies can be seven times higher in developing countries. We must all work together to reduce the capital cost for renewables – and ensure that financing flows to those who need it most. Multilateral Development Banks must play their part by investing massively in renewable energy infrastructure, taking on more risks, and leveraging private finance, ” he stated.

The energy leaders from governments, the private sector and international organisations, who gathered insisted that the world is not on track to reach climate and development goals. IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera stated that renewables-based energy transitions could be a powerful force for positive change.

“The intersecting crises we face demand concerted global action, grounded in multilateralism, to emerge stronger and more unified in achieving our common goals. And the IRENA Assembly provides a platform to drive a global energy agenda. I firmly believe that your insights, thoughts, and experiences will not only guide the Agency’s work in the coming period but also convey to audiences around the world that transforming the global energy system is a path that leads to resilience, equality and prosperity,” he said.

Source: https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria-elected-member-of-irena-council-for-two-years/