Communique of the first nigeria alternative energy expo
1. 20, Dec, 2011
COMMUNIQUE OF THE FIRST NIGERIA ALTERNATIVE ENERGY EXPO 2011 HELD @ SHEHU
MUSA YARADUA CENTRE, ABUJA, NIGERIA FROM OCTOBER 17TH–19TH
2011 has been a great year of progress for us here at Mathesis, and we hope it has been
equally as successful for you too. Our vision is to make NAEE 2012 even better! The
premier Nigeria Alternative Energy Expo (NAEE 2011) saw participation from 17
countries representing all 6 continents and 147 registered companies. It began with a
symposium on day one - October 17th where participants where intimated on the
intricacies of the Nigerian and indeed the African alternative energy climate with
particular emphasis on opportunities, challenges and developments in Nigeria. Several
notable speakers and experts from various sectors of the alternative energy divide
provided insights to set the tone for the exhibitions and business match-making sessions
which took place subsequently. Topics and papers covered during the symposium can be
downloaded from our site.
The objective of the Nigeria Alternative Energy Expo is to:
Create a platform for all stakeholders to network and transfer knowledge and
skills.
Raise awareness and educate the public about alternative Energy and climate
change in Nigeria and the World.
Showcase both local and international initiatives and technologies that are at the
forefront of renewable energy and climate change resilience.
Mobilise Nigerians across all sectors to act on climate change in all aspects of their
lives.
Create a platform for Business, Government and NGO's to showcase Alternative
Energy solutions and climate change initiatives and technologies.
Worthy of note also was the intense participation of the World Bank/IFC programme – the
Lighting Africa Project, which took the lead alongside partner companies in exhibiting
several rigorously tested products that represent the effort to ensure that quality
standards are entrenched, and that the end-user who is often vulnerable, only gets
durable and dependable products. The Lighting Africa Project held an awareness
programme on day two – October 18th where they introduced their programme designed to
set standards for the fledgling industry, companies and their products which have
successfully passed the standards tests, modalities for participation by interested
manufacturers, and benefits of successfully passing these standards tests including,
NAEE 2011 www.nigeriaalternativeenergyexpo.org
2. subsidies funded by the World Bank/IFC to ensure affordability at the bottom of the
pyramid. More on this can be found on our website www.nigeriaalternativeenergyexpo.org
Companies from Switzerland, Germany, Uganda, China, India, Japan and of course Nigeria
to mention just a few also delighted participants with a retinue of innovative products
tailored to meet the subsistence energy demands of Nigerian homes including those off-
grid (i.e. not on the national electricity grid). It was estimated that a whopping 30 – 50%
of Nigerians are not connected to the national grid.
Regulators were also not left out, with the National Electricity Regulatory Commission
(NERC), the Energy Commission, Ministry of Power and Renewable energy programme of
the ministry of environment all participants at the Expo. A goodwill message was also
received from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) demonstrating the
commitment of all stakeholders to Nigeria’s energy sufficiency. All these culminated in
the award and presentation of certificates to exhibitors and participants at the Expo on
day three – October 19th. For a detailed report on the Expo and a comprehensive brochure
on the companies that attended, please see our website address provided herein.
At the symposium, this Expo established and resolved that:
- In spite of concerted action taken by the various governments and their agencies, a
lot more needs to be done and as such, government actions must be complimented
by an aggressive industry-led revolution that drives the proliferation of energy
solutions right across the nation and continent.
- A match must be made between manufacturers, their distributors on one hand, and
the financial services industry and the end-users on the other to ensure that much
needed products get to those who really need them and are affordable. A
microfinance perspective was strongly recommended to catalyze this revolution
and ensure maximum spread.
- The World Bank/IFC Lighting Africa Project presents a viable standardization
process that should be leveraged to ensure quality is delivered to the end-user in
order to prevent apathy to much needed solutions resulting from past experiences
with non-durable and non-dependable products. It is a shared objective that we
must rid homes of toxic kerosene-based products which are doing immeasurable
damage to the users. It was also agreed that,
- The time for inspired action is NOW including a commitment by stakeholders to
invest in community enlightenment programmes and other creative corporate
social responsibility initiatives to achieve energy sufficiency, as the impact on
education, health and the livelihood of beneficiary communities cannot be
overemphasized.
The next Event is on the 17th to the 19th September 2012.
Find out more at www.nigeriaalternativeenergyexpo.org
NAEE 2011 www.nigeriaalternativeenergyexpo.org
