Jonathan To Grace PH Int’l Power Roundtable

The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan would on Wednesday declare open a two day International Power Round Table Conference organized by the Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Power, in conjunction with the state ministry of power as well as the Federal Ministry of Power.
In a statement, in Port Harcourt, yesterday, the chairman House of Assembly Committee on Power, Hon Henry Ogiri said the Senate President, David Mark, Minister of Power, Dr Olanrewaju Babalola and the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and other dignitaries are expected at the two day event.
Also expected in the power roundtable conference are the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Alhaji Lamido Sanusi, Group General Manager, NNPC, Dr Mohammed Bakindo, Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry, State Commissioner for Power, Hon. Augustine Wokocha and a host of other personalities.
According to the release, the theme of the conference is “Maximizing Investment Opportunities in Power Projects in Nigeria through Public Private Partnership” and would take place at the main auditorium of the state House of Assembly, between November 25 26, this year.
It further stated that the aim of the round table conference is to engender private sector interest in power projects and to also showcase investment opportunities in Nigeria as well as to provide platform for government and corporate bodies to showcase their progress report and efforts at achieving steady power supply in Nigeria.
He stated that to attract private investment in the Nation’s power sector, government needs to aggressively market her various power projects, initiate opportunities and policies that would encourage and sustain potential private investors within and outside the country.
According to him, emerging facts showed that Europe, America and Asia which have about 97.5% of power investment achieved that through Public Private Partnership (PPP) with government providing the enabling environment through appropriate legislation and policies adding that it was disheartening that while many nations across the world have gone beyond 1,00,0000 megawatts, the country he said, was still struggling to achieve 6000 megawatts.
He maintained that the roundtable conference would offer the enabling opportunities on how the stakeholders would scintillate ideas on how to network and come up with a framework to achieve a synergy in the development of the power sector in the country and commended the efforts of the state government in power generation hoping that the distribution component would be liberalized.
The lawmaker opined that active participation of the private sector in power projects would compliment the federal government efforts to provide 6000 megawatts by the end of next month adding that such height if achieved, would greatly stimulate the manufacturing sector, increase employment opportunities as well as reduce poverty in the country.