As conversations on finding sustainable solutions for a decarbonised energy future continue to hold globally, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari, has said the African Continent needs “a just, differentiated transition” to enable it to harness its resources for the benefit of its future generations.
The NNPCL GCEO made this known while speaking at a Regional CEO Panel organised by McKinsey & Company on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations Conference on Climate Change, also known as the COP28 Conference, in Dubai, UAE, on Monday.
Kyari, who joined other global energy leaders from the United States, Holland, and Oman to highlight energy perspectives and insights on the evolving energy market, said the world must understand Africa’s peculiarities in addressing the effects of climate change on energy businesses.
“I have always advocated for a differentiated and just energy transition. In Africa, we have different circumstances compared to other places in the world.
“In Africa today, 75 per cent of our population doesn’t have access to electricity, leaving us with biomass as a key energy source. The world needs to recognise that the most practicable thing today is to substitute what we have in the short term to close the energy gap for our rising population,” he stated.
With Nigeria projected to be among the global top 10 economies by 2035 and 3rd in terms of the global population by the same year, the GCEO said the energy poverty question needed to be discussed as nations unite to achieve net zero by 2050.
According to the NNPCL boss, with abundant natural gas reserves of 206 trillion cubic feet that have the potential to rise to 600tcf, Nigeria is currently utilising gas to drive its journey towards energy transition.
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