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Africa Has Potential for Green Hydrogen—Okonjo-Iweala

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Green Hydrogen Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has advised African leaders to make use of the continent’s solar resources to provide clean electricity to its people.

In a chat with CNN, she suggested that microgrids could be easily installed in rural areas to supply electricity to the people.

Despite possessing 60 per cent of the world’s solar resources, Africa only accounts for 1 per cent of the world’s total solar panel capacity, according to the 2022 Africa Energy Outlook by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“Africa has these critical minerals, lithium, you name it, all of them. We also have the potential for green hydrogen. Kenya is 95% clean energy. Many African countries have that potential. Put the two together. You can use clean energy to produce some of these critical minerals.

“You can have these many micro-grids that can be more easily installed in rural areas and give our people access to light.

“So, let’s do that and that will take care of a large requirement. Now we come to industry, and we do have a right to industrialise.

“So, there we have this issue. That’s why we say that to some of our developing countries, let’s not be hypocritical.

“We will need a transition where gas is better than oil. Let’s use that until we have more new technology that can help us with cleaner energy,” the WTO chief said.

The Head of Unit for Tracking Sustainable Transitions at IEA, Mr Daniel Wetzel, identified financing as the major problem with the continent.

“The major challenge for investment in Africa is financing. In Africa the cost to finance a solar project, the same size solar project that would be built in Europe costs three to four times more just because of the returns that are expected on financing because of the higher risks,” he submitted.

But a few companies are looking into this and one of them is ARTsolar, which boasts a state-of-the-art production facility in Durban.

“Effectively, we make 1,760 solar panels a day at peak capacity. We can reduce breakages, and increase efficiency in terms of production and cycle times in the various stages of manufacturing, and that is how AI is being used in the manufacturing process.

“A big consumer of ours is Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia. We are also supplying into Mauritius right now.

In Nigeria… we’ve supplied into Nigeria for the last 10 years. We’re involved in the street lighting programs,” its General Manager, Viren Gosai, said.

In sub-Saharan Africa, in 2019, 25 million Africans had home solar systems, and in 2022, 45 million had the systems installed, providing 4 electricity to African households.

Kenya’s Sun King Solar, is a world leader in off-grid solar systems, though its Vice President for Pay-As-You-Go in East and Southern Africa, Mr Victor Agandi, said, “We are currently in nine countries. We have Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, that’s East Africa.

“We have Mozambique, Malawi, Cameroon, Togo, and of course, Nigeria. We have over 79 stores in Nigeria with I think almost two million households right now installed in Nigeria.”

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Obasa Makes First Appearance at Lagos Assembly After Impeachment

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By Adedapo Adesanya

Mr Mudashiru Obasa made his first appearance at the Lagos State House of Assembly complex on Thursday, February 27, 2025, after he was impeached as the Speaker on January 13, 2025.

The former speaker entered the chamber flanked by armed and uniformed security operatives, who ushered him into the premises.

Business Post reports that Mr Obasa was welcomed with an ovation by his supporters and well-wishers

The politician was welcomed at the entrance gate of the Assembly Complex.

The 40-member House removed the Agege I representative as Speaker by more than two-thirds of the house over alleged misconduct and corruption offences.

Mr Obasa’s then deputy, Mrs Mojisola Meranda, was immediately elected the new Speaker, becoming the first female to take charge of the legislative body in the South-West state.

With her emergence, Mrs Meranda, who represents Apapa Constituency I, ended the 10-year reign of Mr Obasa on the seat.

Mr Obasa was first elected into the House in 2007. He has been in the chamber since then. He emerged as a speaker in June 2015 before his removal in January 2025. He is believed to have the strong support of President Bola Tinubu, who reportedly asked for his return and the resignation of Mrs Meranda.

It is not immediately clear what the next development will be with his return to the chamber, but Mrs Meranda has about 36 members of the state parliament as loyalists. They have all supported and passed a vote of confidence on her, insisting that Mr Obasa has no room to return to the position despite claiming he was not lawfully removed from office.

Last week, some agents of the Department of Security Services (DSS) and legislative workers clashed in the chambers.

The incident led to 36 lawmakers passing a vote of confidence in Mrs Meranda, who was teary-eyed.

Meanwhile, the police had earlier allegedly withdrawn all the escorts attached to the speaker.

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EFCC Laments Crypto Funding of Fraud Syndicates’ Cells

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ola Olukoyede, says organised foreign fraud syndicates are establishing cells in Nigerian cities and recruiting youths into serious organised cybercrimes, made easy by cryptocurrencies.

This was disclosed by the anti-graft agency in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Mr Dele Oyewale, on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Olukoyede said this while receiving participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 18 of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the team was led by the institute’s Director of Studies, Mr Hyginus Ngele, to the commission.

Mr Olukoyede expressed surprise at how bandits and insurgents were able to sustain their activities in the country over the years.

He noted with concern, the rate of flow of small arms and light weapons across the borders and the involvement of non-state actors in the illegal exploitation of minerals in parts of the country.

The EFCC boss said all these activities compounded the threats in the security landscape.

“Another dimension that is not given attention is the discovery, recently, that organised foreign fraud syndicates are establishing cells in Nigerian cities.

”They are recruiting young Nigerians into serious organised cybercrimes, including cryptocurrency fraud.

“By the virtue of EFCC’s recent discovery, we are beginning to see the likelihood, the propensity that a lot of these people are into illegal importation of arms into the country using cryptocurrency as means of payment.”

According to him, this is an area that must interest all and sundry.

“In the special operations we carried out in Lagos recently, we arrested 194 foreigners in the heart of Victoria Island.

”They comprised Chinese, Filipinos, Eastern Europeans, Tunisians and among others in one building at a time. You can imagine what these guys are doing, 194 of them.

“Some of them don’t even have valid visas and most of the financial activities they carried out were through cryptocurrency,” he said.

He said the commission also discovered that some of the foreigners arrested were already ex-convicts in their countries.

“Some of them have been convicted and escaped from their countries and found safe haven in Africa, not only Nigeria.

“We discovered that they are also developing cells in some other African countries by virtue of the investigation we are carrying out,” he said.

The EFCC boss called for spirited efforts at both national and continental levels to combat the menace of internet fraud.

He stressed that the money laundering and national security dimension of the presence of foreign organised crime groups demanded close scrutiny.

“All security, intelligence and law enforcement organisations in Nigeria and indeed Africa, must close ranks in dealing with this challenge,” he said.

On his part, the NISS commandant, Mr Joseph Odama, who spoke through Mr Ngele, praised Mr Olukoyede’s leadership of the EFCC for the commission’s “remarkable achievements in combating corruption, money laundering, and other financial crimes.”

He noted that the achievements had not only strengthened Nigeria’s integrity but also served as a model for other nations in Africa and beyond.

He said the EFCC, under Mr Olukoyede, had been at the forefront of investigating and prosecuting financial crimes, including those involving non-state actors.

“Your commission’s exploratory activities have uncovered the intricate networks through which some NGOs and other entities channel funds to support hostile non-state actors, thereby, fueling instability in various parts of the country and the African continent.

“We recognise the critical role the EFCC plays in disrupting these networks and ensuring accountability.

“In light of this, we are particularly interested in hearing your insights on how your commission navigates the complexities of investigating and prosecuting cases involving non-state actors.

“We also seek your contributions on how Nigeria and other African nations can strengthen legal and institutional frameworks to address the challenges posed by these actors while promoting transparency and accountability in their operations.”

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NSCDC Intercepts 1,571 Litres of Petroleum Products in Zamfara

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NSCDC Fake Recruitment List

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Zamfara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has intercepted 1,571 litres of petroleum products in the Northern state.

According to the security outfit, the products were illegally transported in jerry cans to banditry-prone areas.

The State Commandant, Mr Sani Mustapha, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Umar Muhammad, revealed that four suspects were arrested in connection with the crime at two separate locations.

Among them were two filling station pump attendants and two buyers apprehended in the Birnin Magaji and Tsafe Local Government Areas of the state.

Mr Muhammad disclosed that aside from transporting fuel from unauthorised locations, the suspects also violated the Executive Order prohibiting the sale of petroleum products in jerricans within Zamfara State.

He stated that two of the suspects were caught in Birnin Magaji with 1,296 litres of fuel, while the other two were arrested in Tsafe with 275 litres of the product.

“Today, we bring before you four suspects apprehended for illegal dealings of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in large quantities, violating the National and State Executive Order of petroleum products sales to retailers in jerry cans,” he stated.

The NSCDC assured citizens that investigations are ongoing and reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing the law to curb illegal fuel diversion and activities that could aid insecurity in the state.

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