New announcements and speeches are made on a regular basis by Nigerian government officials, but the question remains if the continuous talk will improve the country’s energy sector.
Nigeria’s Vice President Namadi Sambo urged African countries to work toward the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) in Abuja at the Pan African Policy Conference and Dialogue. He noted the continent’s poverty rate and said, “That is why all hands must be on deck in order to make progress toward the attainment of the MDGs on the continent.”
Sambo urged participants spanning from 17 African countries to offer solutions to the problems hindering the continent. However, many African governments have plans to help progress their energy sectors. Having an action plan isn’t the problem, implementing the plan is where the obstacle lies. Sambo said, “These challenges require a robust financing strategy if we are to address our needs in education, shelter, health care and private enterprise development.”
At the World Energy Congress in Montreal energy advisor Jas Singh said, “The rate of implementation [in Africa] lacks far behind.”
Singh noted that $8.2 billion had been invested in clean energy – a four-fold increase from the previous three years. He said that the governments’ roles vary and differs across the board. “No one size fits all,” he said. He continued saying that each country needed to find their own way, but it wasn’t necessarily the fault of the policies set forth rather than the regulating forces to ensure the policies are carried out.
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