By Victoria Onehi
A leading solar energy company, Beebeejump International Limited has provided over a hundred thousand homes in Nigeria with solar energy across the country.
The Chief Sales Officer, Timmy Shi disclosed this at the ongoing Nigeria-Africa Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit (NAFNIS) at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
“We have provided over one hundred thousand homes with solar systems so far. Our production capacity for Inverter and Batteries at our factory in Lagos is 5000 monthly. This means 30,000 households will benefit monthly from solar systems in our factory.”
“Beebeejump International Limited, a member of the renewable energy community, went into a relationship with the government through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to start a campaign of providing an alternative source of energy to citizens in 33 states of the federation that has little or no power supply or are not connected to the national grid at all. Beebeejump International Limited has been able to deploy more Solar Home Systems to rural areas through the grant which was carried out under the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the leadership of Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad. We commend REA for a good job.”
“In line with this support from the government, we began the first stage of providing homes with affordable electricity by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ondo State Government to provide 30,000 people with easy and affordable access to electricity through our pay-go system designed for low-income earners. The MoU was signed in May with the General Manager, Beebeejump Int’l Ltd Mr Peter Zhang.” She said.
She noted that there is still a lot more to be done by the government and renewable energy companies in providing affordable solar home systems which will, in the long run, help people to save more, enjoy a better life, and have access to stable electricity.
Speaking in the same vein, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development Arch. Olamilekan Adegbite, who represented President Buhari at the Summit said Nigeria is moving towards clean and renewable energy.
The Minister said Africa was required to have huge energy generation because the “world is shifting away from fossil fuel to clean and renewable energy sources to drive its development.”
He observed that amid these energy transitions were many challenges and opportunities for a continent yearning for development.
“I am delighted to see various African nationals gathering here to deliberate and create a framework within which future cooperation and collaboration can take place.”
“We should come up with technologies and products that will lead to the growth and industrialisation of Africa in a more environment-friendly manner while encouraging the development and financing of green energy projects.”
The Minister further noted that Nigeria has the 12th largest steel deposits in the world with more than 3 billion tonnes of resources in Kogi, Enugu, Zamfara and Kaduna states.
“Annually $3.3 billion is still spent on steel imports which impact the economy. By focusing on steel Nigeria can reduce dependency on imports and the economy would become a major player in global markets,” he noted.
In his remarks, one of the panellists and Director General of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency, NGSA, Dr Abdulrazaq Garba, speaking on “maximizing mineral potential” explained that Data generation is the heart of the mining sector.
Also, another panellist and Director-General of Nigeria Mining, Cadastre Office, Simon Nkom said the essence of the summit is to develop Africa, particularly Nigeria adding that given that, the federal government in its determination to diversify the economy identified the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development as a strategic industry that will bring about growth and development.
The three-day programme of the 1st Nigeria Africa Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit brought about a convergence of the African mining, finance, power, oil and gas sector to chart a way forward for the development of natural resources and energy projects in a sustainable and climate-friendly manner.
The Ministers of Mines and Energy from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Gambia, Libya, Kenya, Chad, and Nigeria’s Minister of State foreign affairs Ambassador Zubairu Dada among other industry stakeholders are all in attendance.
The theme of the Energy Investment Summit is: “Towards a Greener Africa” with high-powered panel sessions, keynote addresses, and exhibitions by stakeholders within and outside the continent.
