The Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Power, has launched two Energy Efficiency Networks (EEN), to boost energy efficiency and increase access to sustainable electricity in Kano State.
At the launch, co-funded by the German Development Cooperation and the European Union, the director-general, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, lamented how businesses in Nigeria are losing billions of naira annually due to erratic power supply.
He said, energy costs constitute over 45 percent of total production expenses, a situation that has contributed to poor performance of industries in the country.
He explained that, manufacturers, especially the small and medium industries (SMIs), are the worst-hit with cost of alternative energy soaring by 42.3 percent from N781.68 billion in 2023 to N1.11 trillion in 2024.
While commending the efforts of NESP at establishing the New Energy Networks in the state, the DG said the initiative would avail manufacturers the opportunity to discover profitable energy efficiency measures to save energy, reduce energy cost and achieve a reduction in carbon emissions.
He therefore urged stakeholders in the state to key into the opportunity to accelerate innovation in energy-efficient technologies and practices in order to maximise benefits and profit.
āI have no doubt that the Kano networks will be a huge success as it will further assist industries in Kano to integrate energy efficiency in their production processes,ā he said.
In his remarks, the Kano State commissioner for Investment, Commerce, Industry and Cooperative, Alhaji Shehu Sagagi, welcomed the initiative and pledged government support in making the programme successful.
While thanking the organisations for bringing the initiative to Kano, he said it would help industrialists to save money and encourage more investors to come into the state.
In her remarks, the head of Green and Digital Economy, EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Inga Stefanowicz, said energy efficiency will serve as a powerful tool for achieving inclusive green growth through reduction in energy intensity and carbon emission reduction, as well enhancing economic productivity and competitiveness of the industrial sector.
