Nigeria has been unanimously admitted into the International Energy Agency (IEA) as an Association Country, opening a new window for global cooperation, technical expertise and policy support for the country’s energy sector.
The admission was formalised, yesterday, with the signing of a Joint Work Programme between Nigeria and the Paris-based global energy organisation, covering energy policy, data, security and transition to cleaner energy sources.
Vice President Kashim Shettima described the development as a major milestone and validation of President Bola Tinubu’s economic and energy reforms.
According to a statement by the Vice President’s media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, the agreement is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to develop reliable energy data for policymaking and investment across the energy value chain.
Speaking on behalf of Tinubu at the signing ceremony, Shettima said Nigeria’s admission reflected its strategic importance in the global energy landscape and growing international confidence in the country’s policy direction.
“Nigeria’s admission as an association country with the IEA is a significant milestone for our country and it reflects Nigeria’s strategic importance in the global energy landscape and the confidence that IEA has placed in our commitment to constructive international energy cooperation,” he said.
Shettima said Nigeria would benefit from the IEA’s institutional knowledge, intellectual resources and global expertise as the country seeks to maximise its oil, gas and renewable energy resources.
“Given Nigeria’s potential, the country will benefit from IEA’s institutional knowledge, the intellectual resources, the reach and expertise to support our nation’s ambitions in this sector,” he said.
The Vice President said the Tinubu administration was determined to leverage the country’s abundant energy resources to reposition the economy and would continue to participate actively in global discussions on a fair and just energy transition.
Executive Director of the IEA, Dr Fatih Birol, said Nigeria’s admission received unanimous approval from the agency’s governing board.
He explained that admission into the IEA family was not automatic, as prospective countries had to undergo consideration and assessment.
According to him, following engagements with the Nigerian government, particularly Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, the board, comprising governments including the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, unanimously approved Nigeria’s admission.
“The IEA will accompany the Nigerian energy sector for the next few years to come for a much better energy future,” Birol said.
“We will provide policy advice from clean cooking to gas markets, from gas markets to training Nigerian experts at the IEA on our own.”
Birol said the agency’s expertise covered major areas shaping the future of global energy, including oil, gas, solar power, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles.
He added that the IEA works with about 500 leading energy experts globally, providing governments with policy advice, energy data and technical expertise.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekpo, attributed Nigeria’s admission to the performance of the Tinubu administration and reforms being implemented in the economy.
He said the Joint Work Programme would bring IEA’s technical expertise into Nigeria’s efforts to develop credible data to drive energy policy and attract investment across the value chain.
The programme is expected to improve the quality of energy information available to policymakers and investors and support planning in electricity supply, gas development, clean cooking and energy access.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanoaiye, described the partnership as strategically important to Nigeria’s national interest, saying the Nigerian Mission in Paris played a significant role in facilitating the process.
“We take this as a critical component of our national interest and we will not fail in ensuring that we assist, as facilitators and coordinators, in ensuring that the maximum benefit of this endeavour is derived for the benefit of the Nigerian people,” he said.
Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, said Nigeria’s relationship with the IEA predated the latest agreement, recalling that the agency jointly sponsored the country’s last National Energy Master Plan.
He said the relationship had previously lacked a formal institutional structure, expressing optimism that Nigeria’s admission and the Joint Work Programme would deepen cooperation.
SOURCE: thesun.ng
