Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, expressed the desire of the United States to be Nigeria's preferred partner in energy transition, energy access, and energy security. Pyatt said this in an interview with Nairametrics on June 19. He pointed out that the United States government is working hard to support the Strategic Energy Dialogue (SED) involving all stakeholders in the Nigerian energy sector. . Note that in September 2022, the United States Special Envoy on Climate Change, John Kerry, signed the Climate Energy Demand Initiative (CEDI) with the Nigerian Environment Minister, Mohammed Abdullahi under the Buhari administration. . Under the $12 billion plan, Nigeria and the United States will work together to reduce carbon emissions in the country while exploring natural gas for production and power generation and promoting the use of renewable energy, especially solar energy. in the air. The United States will also support Nigeria's plan to reduce carbonization and invest in smart agricultural technologies to improve food security. In addition, Pyatt emphasized that SED is not a one-time event but is ongoing. It seeks to create a framework for change and continuous collaboration between professionals and actors in the energy sector.
By promoting this energy dialogue, the United States seeks to strengthen its relationship with Nigeria and contribute to the country's energy goals and plans. He said that as American businessmen see how President Tinubu and his administration are dealing with some of the difficult issues of the past such as the currency exchange rate, they see more hope that Nigeria and the United States will increase and support cooperation in the private sector in Nigeria's energy sector. department. According to him, the Joe Biden administration is committed to working with Nigeria in its energy sector and sees Nigeria as an important partner. In an interview with Nairametrics, Pyatt also outlined some areas where the US government is working to address energy transition issues similar to Nigeria. He pointed to the Bureau of Energy's technical assistance program, which focuses on reducing fossil fuel production. He also said that the energy sector program that focuses on working with countries and regions that are facing the challenges of change in the renewable energy system.
According to Geoffrey R. Pyatt, technology in the energy sector is becoming more and more powerful, as the management of energy systems in the future will be highly digital and guided by technology, smart grids, the possibility of using censors everywhere works better. to increase the production of energy resources. He also said that the technology sector is working hard, which can become a factor in the growth of renewable energy in Nigeria. He gave the example of Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS) that are committed to using 100% renewable energy in their operations. According to him, Nigeria has enough solar, opportunity and capacity to promote the growth of renewable energy. He stressed the need to implement policies that support renewable energy infrastructure in the country.
It is important to note that 86 million Nigerians do not have access to electricity. Speaking on the matter, he made it clear that during his meeting with several electricity companies, he realized that the challenge of electricity in Nigeria has nothing to do with the capacity to produce but with the process of distribution. According to him, it is important to understand that not all Nigerians live in big cities like Lagos and Abuja, but in rural and urban areas. Therefore, it is important to bring energy to everyone in the environment. While talking about the fact that many energy producers who develop solutions for the rural population often ignore the government and local investors, he said that the environment The commercialization of the United States has been around for a long time. He added that there is a reason why Silicon Valley operates in California and not Washington DC, the same goes for India where the tech industry is more concentrated in Bangalore and Hyderabad than in Delhi. He said the success of Nigerian tech entrepreneurs speaks volumes about the human rights in the country. Therefore, energy producers should expect a change in terms under the Tinubu administration. In fact, just a few weeks after his inauguration, the President has shown leadership in trying to correct the long-standing issues that have prevented foreign investors from investing in the Nigerian economy.
“So, we are listening to what Nigeria’s concerns are while navigating issues around energy security, energy transition and energy access. Our experts are bringing the best partnership they can offer in this regard. “It is a chance for the USA to share experiences from its own energy transition journey. But also, to build international partnerships. As I said today to President Tinubu, the USA wants to be Nigeria’s preferred partner in energy transition, security, and access. “We know that Nigeria is a leader in the region, and they work with various partners around the world. But this is an opportunity to work more bilaterally. We have a strong corporate footprint here and we want to grow that footprint even further.” “We have Nigeria as a founding partner for the Climate Energy Demand Initiative (CEDI), that role was announced last year, we rolled out CEDI during COP27 at Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. But we have not made a lot of progress in terms of execution and implementation because we were waiting for the 2023 general elections to be conducted and a new government put in place. Now we can go back and hit the accelerator on the CEDI cooperation.”
