Germany provides €22m to address energy, climate change issues in Nigeria

Original post on The Guardian 

The German Government has provided a total of €22million to Nigeria, to address energy and climate change issues in the country. The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Bernhard Schlagheck, who disclosed this recently in an interview with The Guardian in Abuja, said the support, which is under the auspices of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), is being implemented by the German Development Corporation (GIZ).

The Ambassador said the German Government Technical Advisor Group, has also provided mobile care hospitals for the Nigerian military with solar panels to guarantee consistent supply of power.

His words: “From 2013-2020, Germany is providing a total of €22million to Nigeria, to address energy and climate change issues. He disclosed the Group has also supported some Nigerian universities to take all of their electricity supplies from off-grid renewable energy solutions preferably solar power.

Based on the agreement with the German Government under the Nigerian-German Energy Partnership Project, solar power farms would be built in some federal universities across the country.Schlagheck noted that for many years Germany has been one of the major donors to climate protection action in developing and new industrialising countries, adding that in recent years the German Government has systematically stepped up its climate commitments in the developing world.

“Germany has pledged and contributed roughly $1billion to the Green Climate Fund, from which developing countries (including Nigeria) can benefit in the fight against climate change.

The Ambassador, who decried that climate change has become one of the greatest challenges facing mankind today, assured that the German Government will continue to increase its investments in international climate protection, also with a view to longer-term financing needs.He also stressed the need for countries in Africa to accelerate action on issues concerning climate change.