The Federal Government on Tuesday signed a N2 billion assistance agreement with the Japanese Government to set up a solar electricity generation for Umaru Musa Yar,Adua University, Katsina State.
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Ryuichi Shoji, who signed the agreement on behalf of his country, said the agreement was Japan’s first aid scheme for solar energy in Nigeria.
He added that the project had brought the number of Japan’s power sector project in Nigeria to eight.
Shoji said that since 2000, the Japanese government had been collaborating with Nigeria to ensure an improvement in the power sector.
He added that Japan's contributions to the sector were more than N157.52 billion.
Shoji said that the seventh project executed by Japan in Nigeria covered five states of the federation namely Nasarawa, Bauchi, Borno, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.
The ambassador noted that securing enough power was one of the main priorities of Nigeria's industrial/economic development, stressing that Japan was happy to aid the country in that regard.
He said this was the first project for solar energy recycling to Nigeria, realised under the Japanese government Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).
He noted that the project was initiated in 2008 as part of Japan's “Cool Earth Partnership'' to help developing countries to cope with climate change.
“The grant assists third world countries to formulate policies and projects against global warming in order to achieve reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emission.
“It is also to build their capacities to adopt themselves to climate change and provide funds toward realising the objectives of these policies.''
He said that Nigeria adopted Renewable Energy Master Plan in 2005.
“According to this plan, solar energy will provide about 500 megawatts by 2025, which is about 30 per cent of the planned total renewable energy in Nigeria.''
Shoji noted that Japan was currently reviewing its energy policy in order to reduce its dependence on nuclear energy and replace it with renewable energy and other sources of energy.
He added that this would enable it to shift to Green Economy so that it would minimise the problems of climate change in the country.
Earlier, the Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, who signed on behalf of the Federal Government, had expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for the assistance.
He assured that it would be appropriately utilised.
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