Stakeholders in Nigeria’s energy sector have called on young innovators to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to renewable energy.

The stakeholders made the call at a Green Skills bootcamp on Thursday in Abuja, with a theme, “Spark the Green Economy: Robovolt Brand Reveal and AI-Driven Micro Grid skills.

Mustapha Abdullahi, director general, Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), said that Nigeria’s future energy security lied in its natural resources, and also in the ingenuity of its people.

While highlighting the nation’s abundant energy resources including solar, wind, hydro, biomass, lithium, and nuclear, Mr Abdullahi stressed the need to turn them into accessible, reliable, and affordable energy.

According to him, Nigeria is very rich in mineral resources, including lithium in almost every state.

“The government is taking steps to localise and domesticate our technology.

”Very soon, we will stop importing lithium batteries and solar panels because we will be producing them here,” he said

He said that the federal government had signed investment agreements with LONGi, the world’s largest producer of solar components, to establish factories in Nigeria.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu is committed to ensuring that 30 per cent of Nigeria’s energy mix comes from renewable sources such as solar, hydro and wind.

The DG, therefore, urged the youths and others to drive the country’s energy transition through science-backed creativity, policy-driven action and technology-enabled vision.

Abdul-Quayyum Gbadamosi, CEO, Citibim Nigeria Limited, said studies showed that over 90 per cent of businesses in Nigeria rely on diesel or petrol generators for their daily operations.

“Nigeria really struggles with energy access. Generators are very prevalent in our businesses and households.

“Our team has taken the challenge of trying to provide the solution, which is the mobile solar generator we are launching today.

“During the process of innovation, we struggled with access to local skills. So, we asked ourselves, why not develop local skills in AI, geo-intelligence and virtual reality?

”That is why we are organising this bootcamp, to encourage youths that there are a lot of opportunities in sustainability, in the green revolution, energy access and the digital revolution,” he said.

He said that CitiBIM had developed a sustainability dashboard to capture and map assets nationwide, requiring data collection, processing, visualisation and geo-intelligence, creating new pathways for youth careers in green technology.

Oladimeji Olawale, CEO of Sleekabyte Technologies, UK Ltd, stated that the RoboVolts project, being unveiled, aims to create a cheaper, cleaner alternative to diesel and petrol generators.

Mr Olawale said that it would cut costs and boost profits for MSMEs.

“It is not just about powering MSMEs. We are also training people to maintain these solutions, equipping them with green skills that create jobs.

“We are integrating AI into our system to help map generator use in communities, giving government data to phase out fossil fuel generators and transition to sustainable alternatives,” he said.

Musaddiq Mustapha, personal assistant to Mr Tinubu on subnational infrastructure, said that the unveiling of the mobile affordable solar generator, was a game changer for distributed renewable energy.

Mr Mustapha said that technology alone was not enough, adding that people mattered most.

“The president has made it clear that we must build skills and capacity, training Nigerians in solar installation, battery maintenance, data analysis and green entrepreneurship.

”Every solar unit deployed, every CNG bus converted, every efficient appliance installed is an opportunity to create jobs and lift communities.

“We will build infrastructure that powers growth while protecting the climate; use carbon markets to bring in finance; and train our people for the green economy.

“Nigeria will lead with integrity, evidence, and ambition,” he said.

Other activities included the unveiling of the Robovolt brand and product, as well as training on artificial intelligence, geo-intelligence, virtual reality, and sustainable energy solutions.

(NAN)