The inauguration was performed on Tuesday by the Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, in his capacity as the head of the country’s lead agency for national policies on energy.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, Dr Abdullahi noted that the country stands to benefit massively from its abundant bioenergy potentials, which have been underutilised for years.
He said, “The composition of the National GBEP Steering and Technical Committee is to formally and fully commence discussions on bioenergy with stakeholders.
“This will consequently open the frontiers and unlock the huge potentials of the bioenergy resources for the country which Nigeria stands to make enormous benefits from.
“Modern bioenergy can provide multiple benefits, such as energy access and security, promoting rural economic development, increasing household income, improving the living standard of the rural community, mitigating climate change, and providing access to modern energy services, among others.
He also gave an insight into Nigeria’s biomass potentials which could be directed into modern bioenergy.
“A glance at the biomass resources of our nation, reveals the great blessing our nation is endowed with in the area of enormous biomass energy potentials; such that we have 11 million hectares of forest and woodland, municipal waste that has been quantified as 30 million tonnes per year, animal waste amounting to 245 million assorted animals in 2001, energy crops and agricultural residues which give 72.5 million hectares.
“Nigeria, therefore, has relatively abundant bioenergy potentials which have been grossly underutilised and if adequately exploited, will make significant contributions to the nation’s energy mix and the economy,” the ECN DG added.
Earlier in his welcome address, ECN’s Director, Renewable Energy, Jude Asogwa had explained that the committees were meant to initiate activities that would pave the way for the country to cut dependence on imported fossil fuels, expand access to modern energy services and mitigate climate change.
