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  • Africa’s Energy Wealth: Why Good Governance Must Power a Just Transition

    Africa’s Energy Wealth: Why Good Governance Must Power a Just Transition

    …A fair energy transition for Africa will not be decided by how quickly we install solar panels or sign climate commitments

    by Sola Adebawo

    Africa’s energy challenge is not a shortage of resources. It is a shortage of governance that works.

    The continent holds some of the world’s richest solar potential, vast wind corridors, major gas reserves, hydropower capacity, and critical minerals. Yet Africa still consumes less electricity per capita than in almost any other region. Millions of homes remain unconnected. Industries depend on diesel. Hospitals ration power.

    Geology cannot explain this contradiction; only institutions can.

    A fair energy transition for Africa will not be decided by how quickly we install solar panels or sign climate commitments. It will be decided by whether our governance systems can convert resources into reliable power, affordable access, and inclusive growth.

    Governance is what determines whether projects reach completion or remain abandoned; whether contracts are honoured or disputed; whether investors stay or leave; and whether communities benefit or feel excluded.

    Africa is not transitioning from abundance. We are transitioning from scarcity. In that reality, a fair transition must first deliver access, affordability, and reliability. Climate responsibility matters, but development responsibility matters just as much.

    This is why good governance sits at the centre of Africa’s energy future.

    Good governance doesn’t replace capital. It attracts it. It doesn’t generate power. It enables power generation to survive politics, currency shocks, and institutional uncertainty.

    Across the continent, the evidence is clear. Where regulation is predictable, projects move. Where procurement is transparent, financing costs fall. Where institutions are independent, investor confidence grows. Kenya’s clean energy progress, Senegal’s improving power sector credibility, and Uganda’s hydropower expansion came from institutional discipline, not ideology.

    Namibia’s energy story is similar: where governance is steady, projects advance. With clear regulation and credible institutions, Namibia has built investor confidence in solar and wind, positioning itself as a disciplined player in Southern Africa’s clean energy transition.

    Public budgets alone will never fund Africa’s energy transition. Private capital is essential and urgent.

    But capital responds only to credibility. If policies change midstream, money flees immediately.

    When politics overrides contracts, confidence collapses. Governance is a matter of economic survival.

    A just transition also demands honest balance. Africa’s energy transition cannot precede prosperity; hydrocarbons remain essential until it is secured. Natural gas remains a vital transition fuel. When properly governed, oil and gas revenues can fund renewable energy deployment, grid expansion, education, and healthcare.

    The fairness of the transition is determined less by resource choice than by how revenues are managed and reinvested.

    A just transition is one where:

    • Renewables expand access.
    • Gas stabilises grids.
    • Oil revenues fund diversification.
    • Local capacity is built.
    • Communities see lasting benefit.
    • Fairness is not speed. Fairness is inclusion.

    Africa must not be asked to leapfrog over development stages that others climbed slowly, using the same resources we are now told to abandon. The transition must respect history while preparing for the future.

    Governance goes beyond systems. It is about leadership. Leadership that protects institutions, resists short-term politics, and understands that energy is the backbone of national survival.

    Africa’s energy wealth is real. But wealth becomes prosperity only when governance converts it into an opportunity for ordinary people.

    Our sun will not develop us. Our gas will not industrialise us by accident.

    Our wind will not educate our children.

    Only governance, focused on fairness and development, can achieve this transformation.

    Africa does not reject transition, but insists on one with justice, made possible by good governance.

    We reject transition without justice.

    And good governance is what makes a just transition possible.

     Sola Adebawo is the General Manager – Government, Joint Venture and External Relations, Heritage Operational Services Limited

  • Feature: The Myth of Reflective Electricity Pricing in Nigeria

    Feature: The Myth of Reflective Electricity Pricing in Nigeria

    By Elvis Eromosele

    In Nigeria, few issues stir as much raw emotion as the price and quality of electricity. Everywhere across the length and breadth of the country electricity supply is unstable. Over the years, successive governments have insisted that Nigerians are underpaying for electricity. The solution? Increase the tariff under the guise of reflective pricing. Yet, month after month, citizens grope in the dark, both literally and metaphorically.

    Now, the current administration is singing the same old song. And while the government tells us it is about efficiency and subsidy removal, the reality is far more sinister. The rich opt-out out of solar panels. Aso Rock itself is installing solar, admitting silently that even at the highest Band A tariff, the power supply is unreliable and the cost unsustainable. What, then, is the fate of the average Nigerian?

    To understand the electricity pricing debate, we must step back. In the last 30 years, Nigerians have endured epileptic power supply, regardless of which party is in power. NEPA (jokingly dubbed Never Expect Power Always) became PHCN, and PHCN was unbundled into Generation Companies (GenCos), Distribution Companies (DisCos), and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The reforms were touted as the beginning of a new era. Instead, they marked the dawn of privatized suffering.

    Tariffs have increased over 10 times since 2000. Yet, the power supply remains poor, unstable, and unavailable in many communities. While the government mouths “cost-reflective pricing,” consumers are asked to pay for darkness. The prepaid meter, intended to end estimated billing, has become a new tool of oppression, many are still without them, and those who have them often complain of fast-draining units with no clear explanation.

    So, what is reflective pricing? In theory, it’s a system where electricity tariffs reflect the actual cost of generating and distributing power. In practice, however, it’s a blunt instrument used to extract more money from citizens without accountability or improvement in service.

    The situation is so dire that the supposed economic logic collapses under scrutiny. What is the point of reflective pricing when generation is still less than 6,000mw for over 200 million people? What is the point of reflective pricing when transmission lines are outdated and often overloaded? What is the point of reflective pricing when distribution networks are fragmented, inefficient, and corrupt? What is the point of reflective pricing when every customer cannot have pre-paid metre?

    Each Minister of Power comes with the same set of excuses: legacy debt, subsidy pressure, inadequate gas supply, sabotage, and more recently, climate change. The current Minister joined the chorus last year, claiming the tariff hike was due to subsidy removal. Now, another increase is looming.

    But why should Nigerians keep paying more for failure? Where are the investments in renewable energy at the community level? What happened to the Siemens power deal? How is it that with over ₦1.6 trillion pumped into the power sector since privatization, we still live in darkness?

    The impact of Nigeria’s electricity conundrum goes beyond homes and small businesses. It is killing industries. It’s stifling innovation. It is driving up the cost of living. Entrepreneurs are forced to invest in alternative power, diesel, petrol, and now solar, eating deep into profits and productivity.

    The youth, eager to tap into the digital economy, find themselves stuck with gadgets but no light. Hospitals struggle to power critical equipment. Schools can’t run e-learning. Cold-chain businesses are constantly on the brink of collapse. This is not just about electricity. It’s about development. It’s about equity. It’s about the future.

    In my mind, it’s time to move from platitudes to action. To fix Nigeria’s power sector, several urgent steps must be taken.

    First, we need true transparency and accountability. Nigerians deserve to understand the real cost of generating power and how tariff decisions are made. DisCos should be compelled to disclose their service delivery metrics publicly.

    Second, metering for all must become a national priority. The current system of estimated billing is nothing short of extortion. To ensure fairness and accuracy in billing, the government must commit to achieving 100 per cent metering within the next 12 months.

    Third, Nigeria must embrace local energy solutions. Encouraging the development of localized mini-grids and solar cooperatives, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas, will boost energy independence. Communities should be incentivized to manage and own their power infrastructure.

    In addition, regulatory oversight must be strengthened. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) must stop acting like an apologist for DisCos and start functioning as a true watchdog that protects consumer interests.

    Moreover, Nigeria must shift its focus to renewable energy. Blessed with abundant sunlight and wind, the country has no excuse for its continued dependence on an unreliable national grid. A serious commitment to renewables can provide a sustainable path forward.

    It’s time to address the elephant in the room. Reflective pricing, in its current form, is a myth, a beautifully packaged illusion. What it reflects are the deep-rooted inefficiencies and injustices that plague Nigeria’s power sector. Until there is a real improvement in power supply, the only thing this pricing model reflects is the growing frustration of millions of Nigerians.

    Eromosele, a corporate communication professional and public affairs analyst, wrote via: elviseroms@gmail.com

  • 2023 Sustainability Report: Vertiv Unveils “One Vertiv, One World” Sustainability Plan

    2023 Sustainability Report: Vertiv Unveils “One Vertiv, One World” Sustainability Plan

    Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has released its 2023 Responsible Business Report, which details progress in focus areas, and introduces the company’s “One Vertiv, One World” plan for advancing the principles of environmental stewardship, fostering a safe, inclusive, and engaged workplace, and conducting business in a responsible way.

    In 2023, Vertiv continued to advance its vision to create a more responsible future by focusing on efficient products and systems, responsible operations, its people, its neighbors, supply chain integrity, and governance. In recognition of the critical role the tech and data centre industries play in the global energy landscape, the “One Vertiv, One World” plan will help guide the company’s next steps in pursuit of creating long-term value for its shareholders, customers, and the communities it serves.

    “We continue to advance our efforts to be a responsible global and corporate citizen while simultaneously providing products and services that help our customers achieve their own environmental sustainability goals,” said Giordano Albertazzi, Vertiv CEO. “With demand for AI growing rapidly across the world, we at Vertiv are providing infrastructure products, systems and services that enable our customers to advance their AI initiatives with high performance and a lower environmental impact.”

    Efforts and initiatives highlighted in the 2023 report include:

    • An expanded offering of both high-efficiency liquid cooling solutions and low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants to help Vertiv customers advance their AI initiatives and help enable performance with a lower environmental impact.
    • The acquisition of CoolTera Ltd. (CoolTera), a designer and manufacturer of highly efficient liquid cooling solutions, bringing additional advanced cooling expertise, controls and systems to Vertiv’s already robust thermal management portfolio.
    • The rollout of a new battery energy storage system (BESS) with lithium-ion batteries that provides utility-scale energy storage that can be used as an always-on power supply, helping customers support operational resilience, avoid peak demand charges, and rely more on alternative distributed energy resources such as solar panels, wind turbines, and hydrogen fuel cells to help reduce carbon emissions and maintain reliability. The microgrid solution was also unveiled at the Vertiv Delaware, Ohio facility as a Customer Experience Center, leveraging both solar arrays and hydrogen fuel cells as alternative energy sources that will provide energy for Vertiv operations and operate as a test bed to demonstrate the reduced carbon emissions solution for customers.
    • The introduction of the Vertiv™ TimberMod™, featuring mass timber as a key structural component instead of steel for prefabricated modular (PFM) data centre solutions, providing the potential to minimise resource depletion and lower the product’s carbon footprint as compared to steel alternatives.
    • A refreshed Guide to Data Center Sustainability with updated statistics and other relevant information to aid Vertiv’s customers and other stakeholders.
    • An update on Vertiv’s operational efficiency efforts to track and monitor the company’s primary environmental impacts and refine processes to streamline the collection of metrics related to carbon emissions, energy consumption, water usage, and waste generation and recycling. A notable example is the Monterrey, Mexico, facility water reclamation system, which reduces the operation’s reliance on the city water supply by collecting water from the air conditioning units used to cool the facility and turns it into water usable for other purposes.
    • Examples of how Vertiv is making an impact in the communities we serve.
    • A report on Vertiv’s commitment to supply chain integrity to assure compliance with leading industry standards for responsible minerals, human rights, and labor conditions.

  • Feature: Let’s Change the Generator Republic Narrative

    Feature: Let’s Change the Generator Republic Narrative

    by Ayo Akinfe

    Given that this Nations Cup has led to South Africans nicknaming Nigeria Generator Republic, our government should be shamed into acting by coming up with an action plan that looks like this

    [1] As from October 1 2024, no building in Nigeria will be granted a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) unless it has solar panels installed on its roof

    [2] As from 2026, all buildings in Nigeria must have solar panels installed on their roofs. Not having one will attract prosecution with the risk of the property being forfeited to the federal government

    [3] By the end of 2025, all public buildings in Nigeria must be fitted with solar panels

    [4] By the end of 2026, every local government area in Nigeria must have constructed and commissioned a micro-grid that can distribute enough electricity to power its territory

    [5] By the end of 2026, every state government in Nigeria must have constructed and commissioned a mini-grid that can distribute enough electricity to power its territory

    [6] By January 1 2027, each of Nigeria’s eight coastal states must have built an offshore wind farm

    [7] By January 1 2026, every state must have a minimum of one solar farm that measures at least 10 square kilometres

    [8] By January 1 2027, all street lights in Nigeria must be powered by solar energy

    [9] By January 1 2027, every industrial estate in Nigeria must generate its own power. All such industrial estates will be disconnected from the national grid by October 1 2027

    [10] As from January 1 2025, it will be illegal to import electricity generators into Nigeria

  • Feature: Mandate for the Minister for Manufacturing

    Feature: Mandate for the Minister for Manufacturing

    Personally, I am disappointed that President Tinubu did not appoint a dedicated minister for manufacturing with a mandate to turn the following cities into specialist industrial zones:

    Ayo Akinfe

    [1] Nnewi – Automobile manufacturing
    [2] Akure – Cocoa processing and chocolate
    [3] Orlu – Pharmaceuticals
    [4] Aba – Clothing and footwear
    [5] Abeokuta – Railway carriages and engines
    [6] Kano – Groundnut, neem, millet and sorghum processing
    [7] Damaturu – Dairy products
    [8] Port Harcourt – Shipbuilding, boatmaking and fishing equipment
    [9] Calabar – Aircraft assembly
    [10] Ajaokuta – Steel, machine tools and metal manufacturing
    [11] Asaba – Wood products and furniture
    [12] Lokoja – Hydroelectric power generation
    [13] Sokoto – Solar farm
    [14] Ikot-Abasi – Port handling equipment
    [15] Maiduguri – Solar panels and electricity transformers
    [16] Uyo – Windmills
    [17] Badagry – Coconut and cashew processing
    [18] Ilorin – Sugar production
    [19] Makurdi – Yam and cassava processing
    [20] Minna – Shea nut and kolanut processing

  • Feature: Manufacturing Electric Cars is the antidote to the Incessant Petrol Price Rises

    Feature: Manufacturing Electric Cars is the antidote to the Incessant Petrol Price Rises

    by Ayo Akinfe

    When will Nigerians get it into their collective heads that manufacturing electric cars is the antidote to these incessant petrol price rises. Bola Tinubu is obliged to tell them that bitter truth

    [1] When I hear Nigerians complain about petrol price rises, I feel like tearing my hair out of my head. Have they been oblivious to the whole clean energy debate? Where have they been when the rest of the human race has been screaming about the need to abandon the use of fossil fuels?

    [2] Let me give them one example. Are we aware of the fact that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in the global demand for used vehicles, especially full-size pickup trucks? In the US, some buyers are traveling hundreds of miles to get what they want, regardless of the price. Obviously, car manufacturers are churning out electric trucks to fill this gap in the market

    [3] Tesla is an American electric vehicle and clean energy company based in Palo Alto, California. Its current products include electric cars, battery energy storage from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar roof tiles, as well as other related products and services. Tesla is ranked as the world’s best-selling plug-in and battery electric passenger car manufacturer, with a market share of 16%

    [4] Can someone please explain to me why Tesla and Innoson Motors have not formed a joint venture to manufacture electric pick-up trucks, saloon cars and SUVs in Nigeria?

    [5] As we speak, Tesla is expanding its plants and building new ones, which should increase the output to around 800,000 units annually. As the company looks to cash in on the stimulus packages being offered, it needs manufacturing locations where production costs are cheap

    [6] I wonder why someone like Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has not approached Tesla, offering them a 50-year lease on land in the Lekki Industrial Park where they can manufacture trucks in conjunction with Innoson

    [7] Whether we like it or not, Nigeria needs a transport policy involving us moving away from private vehicle. Centre everything on trains, buses and pick-up trucks for farmers

    [8] Personally, I would ask Tesla if they could come and manufacture all three in Nigeria, opening the world’s largest electric automobile manufacturing plant in Lekki

    [9] When I look at how Aliko Dangote has just invested $15bn in an oil refinery in Lekki, I ask why investing in a car plant should be a problem for someone like him. As you can see, our problem is not just the government. I think every Nigerian should be ashamed of the fact that we do not have some of the basics that make you feel proud of yourselves as a sovereign nation such as our own national automobile manufacturer that can compete with the big boys, our own national airline, our own battlefield tank, an internationally recognised tourist attraction like Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, the Brandenburg Gate, the Sydney Opera House, etc and our own equivalent of Harvard, Yale, Oxford or Cambridge

    [10] As the world’s largest black nation, we must set some basic minimum goals. At the moment, the biggest problem with electric cars is that it takes two hours to charge them. Now just imagine, say Innoson Motors manufactures and patents a device that enables you to fill up your electric car within 10 minutes. If Nigeria sold this all around the world, it would end our lazy dependence on crude oil tomorrow

  • Feature: Nigeria needs an Economic Sabotage Commission

    Feature: Nigeria needs an Economic Sabotage Commission

    Is any presidential candidate discussing creating an Economic Sabotage Commission to try actions which damage our economy and legitimise poverty even though they may not constitute corruption

    Ayo Akinfe

    [1] Buying private jets when we do not have an aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) in Nigeria is just an act of economic sabotage as all is does is drain foreign exchange and enrich foreign aircraft manufacturers

    [2] Buying generators when you could install solar panels on your roof is not only economically damaging but an environmental crime

    [3] Nigeria spends about 1% of her annual budget on religious pilgrimages. This is a luxury we simply cannot afford

    [4] Nigerians who go and throw lavish parties in Dubai just want to keep us in perpetual poverty. Their actions ensure that our own tourist industry will never develop

    [5] Government departments and corporates who go and purchase fleets of foreign vehicles rather than patronise Innoson Motors simply do not wish Nigeria well

    [6] So-called businessmen who go and import luxury fashion accessories for distribution across Nigeria rather than manufacture them locally are just enemies of the people. Have they ever challenged the likes of Gucci or Luis Vitton to open plants in Nigeria?

    [7] All those government officials who go abroad for medical treatment clearly do not wish Nigeria well. What happened to dying for your country? The amounts they spend would make a huge difference if invested in local healthcare facilities

    [8] Our import licence regime needs a massive overhaul. Food items, clothing, automobiles, household goods, communication equipment, etc that can all be easily manufactured in Nigeria should not be imported. At the moment, all the Central Bank of Nigeria has done is place a foreign exchange ban on them. We need to go further by naming and shaming these importers

    [9] Nigeria’s aviation industry will never grow unless it is patronised. Flying by British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Emirates, etc when Air Peace plies the same route is perpetuating Nigeria’s under-development

    [10] We need a constitutional amendment that compels state governments to only award contracts to foreign companies that come to Nigeria to invest. If they are not prepared to invest in our people, we should not be giving them our business. I do not understand how Nigeria can be an investment risk to them yet Nigeria’s money is acceptable to such companies

  • Sterling Launches Imperium Platform for Solar Energy Consumers

    Sterling Launches Imperium Platform for Solar Energy Consumers

    Sterling Bank Plc, Nigeria’s leading digital bank, has launched a new and innovative digital product, known as the Imperium Platform, in a bid to connect consumers and providers of renewable energy (solar solutions) as a viable solution to Nigeria’s electricity crisis.

    The Imperium Platform was launched following the unveiling of the Nigerian electricity industry report entitled, “Powering Nigeria: How Solar Energy Can Become a Sustainable Electricity Alternative.”

    The report was produced by Sterling Bank in partnership with Stears, a digital information company.

    Dele Faseemo, Group Head, Renewable Energy at Sterling Bank, said in a statement issued by the bank that the Imperium Platform seeks to provide clean and affordable energy solutions to interested customers while providing different financing options to customers purchasing the solution outright or paying for the installation and operation of the solution.

    Faseemo explained that Sterling Bank, in partnership with Stears Data, the data collection, analytics, and data access division of Stears, embarked on the study to tackle the problem of providing solar energy in the country.

    The report showed that despite the privatization of Nigeria’s electricity industry, the country still has one of the lowest electrification rates in the world, as 43 percent of its population has no access to grid electricity, an indication that 85 million Nigerians are not connected to – and cannot receive electricity from – the Nigerian transmission grid.

    He said the Imperium would provide a range of purchase options to consumers because solar energy solutions are not one-size-fits-all, so purchasing options should not be either.

     According to him, Sterling Bank employs several purchase models to provide renewable energy solutions for its customers. This ensures that customers with different needs and purchase abilities can access solar energy solutions.

    He listed the options to include outright purchase, lease to own, and power as a service. Using outright purchase as an example, he said that energy consumers could purchase products directly from vendors via the Imperium Platform, a dedicated e-commerce platform hosted by Sterling Bank.

    In lease to own, Imperium provides financing at competitive interest rates for consumers with good credit scores or clean credit checks who are keen to own the assets. Under power as a service, Imperium offers fixed monthly energy-charge options to consumers, but the underlying assets are owned by Imperium as it (Imperium) purchases and owns the assets.

    This saves clients huge capital outlay and maintenance worries, while the monthly energy charge is based on the capacity deployed.

    In this regard, the bank has recently partnered with the Nike Art Gallery to install solar panels at the gallery via the bank’s Imperium outlet as part of its commitment to a renewable energy-powered Nigeria and the development of the nation’s tourism sector.

    The development is a sequel to recent partnerships with the gallery to drive an appreciation and spotlight the investment opportunities available in Nigeria’s arts and tourism sectors.

    The Nike Art Gallery, owned by Chief Nike Okundaye, is one of the largest of its kind in the West African sub-region, with a collection of about 8,000 diverse artworks from various Nigerian artists.