Ministry Harps On Renewable Energy

The Desk Officer, Renewable Energy Programme of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs Bahhijattu Abubakar, has advised the five Nigerian universities chosen by the University of Boras, Sweden, for an exchange programme to maximise the opportunity.

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja recently, Abubakar urged them to demonstrate commitment in the programme and ensure that the funds to be provided were judiciously utilised to develop renewable energy sources in the country.

Our correspondent reports that the benefitting universities are Lagos State University (LASU); Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) in Imo; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in Anambra; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in Abia;, and the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa. “What prompted this partnership is a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed earlier this year between the Nigerian Government and Sweden. “Through this partnership, we started working and they told us that there are certain funds in Sweden that will enable Nigerian universities to be assisted.

“We quickly sealed the partnership deal and this is what made Boras University to choose the five Nigerian institutions for this programme,” she explained.

Abubakar said that under the agreement, Boras University would provide technical skills and build the capacity of its Nigerian counterparts on renewable energy development research.

She explained that the ultimate objective was to build a new crop of Nigerian graduates equipped with the technical skills and know-how to set up their own businesses in different areas of waste management. The desk officer added such graduates could access the 4.8 million dollars set aside by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Bank of Industry to provide financing in this regard.  She said that the programme, if successful, would lead to clean environment, clean energy sources and serve as a mitigation toll for climate change management in Nigeria.