BY IRIBHOGBE MONSURAT BUKUNOLA
Plans are now in top gear for the first-ever legislative conference on renewable energy to be hosted in the country.
Seeking to produce an actionable legislative roadmap for Nigeria’s renewable energy sector, it would cover critical areas including renewable energy legislations, energy transition, renewable energy financing, and investment opportunities, amongst others, providing input to the upcoming National Integrated Electricity Policy, 2025.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy, Afam Ogene, who addressed journalists in the build-up to the conference, said it would bring together public and private sector stakeholders to dialogue and lawmakers, regulators, international partners, and private sector leaders to align on the country’s legislative direction in the energy transition
Briefing the press at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy, Afam Ogene, said the summit is organised in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would help createa coherent national framework for Nigeria’s renewable energy sector, focusing on green energy policies and regulations.
“This conference aims at bringing together key stakeholders and industry players to discuss renewable energy legislations, energy transition, renewable energy financing, investment opportunities and related matters, towards developing a national legislative framework on renewable energy,” Ogene said.
The two-day event, scheduled for May 5 and 6, 2025, will be held in Lagos and is organised in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme.
He noted that recent changes in Nigeria’s constitutional and legal frameworks have created momentum that now requires legislative harmonisation across federal and state levels.
“Recent legislative reforms around the energy sector in Nigeria highlight this growing momentum, thus necessitating the convocation of the 1st Edition of the Legislative Conference on Renewable Energy in Nigeria,” he said.
Applauding the Electricity Act 2023, signed into law in February 2024, as a transformative piece of legislation, the lawmaker stated:
“The Act permits states to issue licenses for all electricity activities (generation, transmission and distribution), encompassing lawmaking, regulation, and policy development across the entire power sector value chain”.
According to him, with the upcoming National Integrated Electricity Policy, 2025, states were now in a better position to develop their electricity sectors, emphasising renewable energy sources.
The legislative Conference On Renewable Energy, would provide the ultimate venue for stakeholders including lawmakers from the different tiers of government, renewable energy experts, financiers and technicians would seek removal of all bottlenecks, legislative and administrative, towards renewable energy transition.
Said Ogene: it would be “a coordinated platform for federal and state lawmakers to harmonise policies, address regulatory bottlenecks, and align efforts in advancing Nigeria’s renewable energy transition.
“The promotion of dialogue among legislators, experts, and stakeholders on critical legislative priorities, regulatory frameworks, and global best practices to accelerate renewable energy adoption in Nigeria.”
“We also confirmed participation from three African parliaments—South Africa, Ghana, and Gambia—showcasing the House Committee on Renewable Energy’s impact,” Ogene added.