Industrial firms tasked on energy efficiency, waste management

Various sectors of the economy have been asked to key into a four-year project titled “Improving Nigeria’s Industrial Energy Performance through Programmatic Approaches and the Promotion of Innovation in Clean Technology Solutions”, to reduce waste contributing to climate change, reduction in profitability and making judicious use of their raw materials to break even point.

The project is being supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) as well as other national stakeholders.

In her welcome remarks at the workshop organized by the Federal Ministry of Environment and Energy Commission of Nigeria for related stakeholders, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the private sector, the Zonal Director, Federal Comptroller, Federal Ministry of Environment, Lagos, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Agbenna highlighted the imperativeness of sensitising the participants on the core area of the project.

According to her, the core area has to do with data capturing of industrial energy consumption, resource use and waste hotspot generation for the operational improvement of industries.

“You are all aware that Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations climate protocols, other environmental agreements and has pledged commitments through our National Determined Contribution (NDC), which requires a transition to a low-carbon, greener economy that will help Nigeria meet its unconditional (20%) and conditional (47%) emission reduction targets.

“This project will, therefore, assist the Nigerian Government in promoting industrial energy efficiency and resource efficiency and cleaner production of the industrial sector as an instrument of meeting its environmental sound management obligations. After all, small companies have played important roles in technology innovation, often leading to the introduction of paradigm-shifting technologies and changes in the way we live” she said.

Deputy Director and Head of Division, Hazardous Risk Management, Inner Production & Environmental Intelligent Services, Federal Ministry of Environment, Oyewole Asaolu emphasized the importance of data capturing which would be conducted across industries or factories in the country and the fact that the project is aimed at reducing wastes contributing to climate change and at the same time increasing profitability.

National Project Coordinator for UNIDO, Oladipo Jacob said the objective of the project was to accelerate the adoption of industrial energy efficiency and to improve enterprise performance under the wide umbrella of resource efficiency and cleaner production, best practices as well as innovative approach within the selected small medium and large-scale industries in Nigeria.