Nigerian engineers have called for the harnessing of alternative energy sources for use in the rural areas.

They made the call in a communique issued at the end of the third biennial engineering conference of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) held at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, on Friday.

It suggested that energy sources such as bio-fuels, solar and solar-fuel cells should be harnessed for use in the rural areas due to their renewable nature.

It noted that energy infrastructure in Nigeria had remained very dismal over the decades and the per capital electric power supply was one of the lowest in the world.

The communique noted that the situation had made the country less attractive for investors.

It commended the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for its gas pipeline network, and urged the corporation to sustain the effort in order to boost power supply.

It identified the possibility of utilising solid waste materials in the production of building and construction materials to enhance sustainability.

“Thus, the conference identified the need for high level manpower training in research and development of local material which can be achieved through collaboration between academia and the industries,” it added.

The conference called for training and re-training on Information Communication and Technology (ICT) to promote effective learning in tertiary institutions and creation of ICT awareness among Nigerians.

The communiqué was signed by the chairman of the conference’s local organising committee, Dr Ambali Abdulkareem.