Geoffrey R. Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, has stated that the US intends to be Nigeria’s most preferred partner in terms of energy transition, access, and security.
This assertion was made by Pyatt in an interview on June 19, 2023. He emphasized the fact that the US government is actively promoting a strategic energy discussion (SED) that includes all players in Nigeria’s energy industry.
Pyatt also underlined that the SED is a continuing process rather than a one-time event. Its objective is to set up procedures for ongoing communication and cooperation among specialists and other energy industry participants.
By encouraging this strategic energy dialogue, the United States hopes to fortify its relationship with Nigeria and actively support its energy objectives and aspirations.
According to Pyatt, he said;
“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.”
According to him, there are more opportunities for Nigeria and the US to collaborate and facilitate more private sector partnerships in Nigeria’s energy sector as US businesses observe President Tinubu and his administration acting on some of the challenging issues of the past, such as the unification of the country’s exchange rates. He claims that Nigeria is an essential partner and that the Joe Biden administration is committed to working with Nigeria in the country’s energy sector.
Pyatt also noted other regions where the US government is engaged in efforts to address problems associated with the energy transition, such as those in Nigeria. He emphasized the Technical Assistance Program of the Energy Bureau, which aims to decarbonize the production of fossil fuels. He also mentioned the power sector program, which focuses on assisting nations and areas that are struggling to make the transition to renewable energy sources.
“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.” He said.
Keep in mind that under the Buhari government, in September 2022, John Kerry, the United States Special Envoy on Climate Change, signed the Climate Energy Demand Initiative (CEDI) with Mohammed Abdullahi, Nigeria’s Minister of Environment.
As part of the $12 billion project, Nigeria and the US will collaborate to lower carbon emissions in the nation while exploring the use of natural gas for industrial development and electricity generation and maximizing the use of renewable energies, particularly solar and wind energy. In order to promote food security, the United States would also support Nigeria’s ambitions for decarbonization and invest in smart agriculture technologies.
According to Geoffrey R. Pyatt, the energy sector and technology are becoming more and more entwined because managing energy systems in the future will be largely digital and driven by technology, smart grids, and the capability to use ubiquitous censors to significantly improve the productivity of energy resources. He added that the energy needed for IT operations might serve as a catalyst for the development of renewable energy in Nigeria.
He cited as examples Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), all of whom have pledged to run their businesses entirely on renewable energy. He claims that Nigeria has sufficient sun resources, space, and intensity to promote the expansion of renewable energy. He emphasized the necessity of creating legislative frameworks that encourage the nation’s renewable energy resources.
It is significant to remember that 86 million Nigerians lack access to power. While discussing this subject, he made note of the fact that throughout his meetings with several power utilities, he came to understand that Nigeria’s energy difficulties had more to do with the distribution system than the generation capacity. He asserts that it is crucial to understand that not all Nigerians reside in large cities like Lagos and Abuja but rather in small towns and rural areas. Therefore, it is crucial to include everyone in the energy ecology.
He claimed the US entrepreneurial ecosystem has persisted this long because the government has remained out of the way, in reference to the fact that many energy innovators developing energy access solutions for folks in rural areas are frequently disregarded by the government and local investors.
He continued by saying that Silicon Valley took place in California and not Washington, DC and that the same holds true for India, where Bangalore and Hyderabad had greater growth in the country’s tech sector than Delhi. He claimed that the achievements of Nigerian digital entrepreneurs reveal much about the potential of the nation’s human capital.
As a result, the storyline under the Tinubu administration should shift, according to innovators in the energy sector. This is due to the fact that the president has demonstrated leadership in his efforts to address enduring problems that have discouraged international investors from investing in Nigeria’s abundant human capital in the short time since his inauguration.
