Vice-President (V-P) Kashim Shettima, says that building human capital in hydrogen technologies is critical to the viability of a hydrogen economy in the country.
Shettima said this at the Ist Nigeria Conference on Hydrogen with the theme: ‘Building a Hydrogen Economy for Nigeria’ in Abuja on Tuesday.
The V-P was represented by Sadiq Wanka, the Special Adviser to the President on Power Infrastructure in the Office of the VP.
He said that developing pilot programmes across different applications would be a key step in building the in-country expertise to tap into the vast global hydrogen economy.
Shettima said that regional collaboration with other countries in the sub-region and the continent on the adoption of hydrogen would support its viability domestically.
The V-P said that collaborations with development partners and other countries more advanced in their hydrogen journey was also important to ensure knowledge transfer.
”The investments required in building the infrastructure for hydrogen transport and storage are vast and can only be driven by the private sector.
”Building our vast natural gas pipelines with future hydrogen transport in mind will significantly reduce these costs and help to attract capital,” Shettima said.
Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), said the country, as Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation, had an energy demand that was expected to double by 2050.
He said the country was positioning itself to become a key player in the global hydrogen economy.
According to him, this is not just an ambition, it is a strategic imperative that aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister said that harnessing the country’s resources to produce green hydrogen, could play a significant role in reducing emissions and supporting decarbonisation of sectors such as transport, power generation, and heavy industry.
Ekpo said the country had committed to achieving net-zero emissions under the Paris Agreement.
”Hydrogen particularly green hydrogen produced using our abundant renewable energy resources, and blue hydrogen leveraging our natural gas reserves with carbon capture presents a unique opportunity to bridge these seemingly competing objectives.
”Our natural gas reserves of 206 trillion cubic feet position us perfectly for blue hydrogen production. Our significant solar potential, with about 2,000 hours of sunshine annually, provides an ideal foundation for green hydrogen,” he said.
Tajudeen Abbas, the Speaker, House of Representatives, said the country needed to embrace hydrogen to diversify her energy sources and create jobs.
Abbas, represented by Rep. Victor Obuzo, said that hydrogen adoption would help decarbonise the economy while ensuring energy security.
He called for firm regulatory frameworks to create safe hydrogen.
The speaker said the House was committed to deploying necessary legislative frameworks to support the hydrogen transition initiative.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, said that achieving a hydrogen enabled future required a collaborative effort.
Nnaji called on various stakeholders to support the efforts of the country toward achieving the initiative.
Mr Nicholas Ella, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, said the country could leverage its position as the 9th largest gas producer globally, holding an estimated 209 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven reserves to develop blue hydrogen as an interim step.
Ella said the conference was aimed at initiating concrete actions and strategic dialogues that would help the country pivot from a hydrocarbon-dominated economy to an integrated, sustainable energy mix that incorporated hydrogen.
”The National Conference on Hydrogen provides a platform for critical discussions on the technology, policy, financing, and infrastructure necessary to develop a robust hydrogen economy.
”The global market for hydrogen technologies is projected to grow exponentially, reaching over 200 billion dollars by 2030.
”For Nigeria to capture a share of this expanding market, significant investments must be made in upgrading infrastructure, building electrolysers for green hydrogen production, and creating enabling policy frameworks,” he said.
Aliyu Mijinyawa, the Chairman, Foundation for Sustainable Social Responsibility in Emerging Africa (FOSSREA), said the conference was to explore the vast potential of hydrogen energy in the country.
According to him, our goal is to position Nigeria at the forefront of the global hydrogen economy, leveraging this clean energy solution to drive sustainable economic growth, energy security, and climate action.
Juan Ignacio-Sell, the Ambassador, Embassy of Spain in Nigeria, said that energy adoption in the country would help boost the economy and create jobs.
Ignacio-Sell, represented by Juan Diego- Martin said Nigeria could count on Spain’s support for an energy transition that was fair.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference was convened by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in collaboration with the FOSSREA. (NAN)
