Nigeria gets $3bn from World Bank, US to boost energy transition

The World Bank and the US Export-Import Bank (EximBank) have pledged a sum of $3 billion to boost the implementation of Nigeria’s energy transition plan.

The international organizations made the pledge on Wednesday at the official global launching of the Energy Transition Plan by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Osinbajo, while speaking at the global launch on Wednesday, said the energy transition plan was designed to address energy poverty and climate change crisis; and  deliver sustainable development goal seven (SDG7) by 2030 and net zero by 2060.

The vice president noted that the plan will lift 100 million people out of poverty, reduce Nigeria’s carbon footprint, drive economic growth and create jobs.

Nigeria had earlier launched its energy transition plan to achieve universal energy access by 2030 and a carbon-neutral economy by 2060 to tackle poverty and climate change.

Nigeria country director, World Bank, Shubham Chaudhuri, said the international bank intended to commit over $1.5 billion towards the country’s energy transition plan.

He said, “We plan to commit over $1.5 billion towards the Energy Transition Plan on renewable energy, on power sector reforms, and potentially hydropower, on clean cooking, and wherever opportunities arise.

“The policy and institutional reforms that will be necessary are also part of the agenda and we hope to be able to provide support for the fundamentally imperative of energy access but in a way that is consistent with the energy transition, what I think of as the NEAT imperative.

“The Nigerian Energy Access and Transition (NEAT) imperative is what we here at the World Bank are absolutely committed to supporting.”

Chief executive officer (CEO), Sun Africa, Adam Cortese said it was in the final stage of talks with the US EXIM Bank on a $1.5 billion financing package.

“The launch of Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan has further accelerated our efforts, proving Nigeria to be fertile grounds for investments in the sector. We are in the final stages of discussion with US EXIM Bank on a USD 1.5 billion financing package.

“We are truly excited about the future and we are looking forward to helping Nigeria lead by way of example in Africa.”

Speaking at the official unveiling of the transition plan, Osinbajo said Nigeria’s energy transition requires a significant scale of resources which includes spending $410 billion by 2060.

He added that Nigeria has set up an inter-ministerial energy transition implementation working group and is “currently engaging with partners to secure an initial $10 billion support package ahead of COP27″.

Recall that at COP26 in Glasgow last year, President Muhammadu Buhari announced Nigeria’s ambition to achieve net-zero by 2060 drawing on insights from the country’s Energy Transition Plan which was developed through the Energy Transition Commission to chart out Nigeria’s unique energy transition pathway.

The energy transition plan strethens the country’s objectives of achieving universal access to energy by 2030 and a carbon-neutral energy system by 2060, while also providing enough energy to power the industry and other productive uses.

The plan is supported by Sustainable Energy for All and the COP26 Energy Transition Council (ETC).

-Vanguard