By Bassey Udo
Achieving a low carbon world could be difficult if developed countries fail to embark on a deliberate technological investment in sustainable projects in Africa and other developing economies, energy and infrastructure conglomerate, Sahara Group, has said.
The Director, Governance and Sustainability of the Group, Ejiro Gray, identified energy access as a critical part of the ongoing energy transition conversation, especially in developing economies.
Gray underlined the need for developed economies to take greater responsibility for moving the world closer to low carbon emissions, considering that they contributed most significantly to current global carbon emissions.
The developing countries, she said, were disadvantaged, considering that their economic growth and development initiatives were still largely reliant on fossil fuels, with significant levels of untapped reserves, especially across Africa.
“For this, there must be an intentional drive towards technological investments in sustainability projects, in the developing world by the developed world. This is not to absolve developing economies of the responsibility for their energy transition, but to ensure the global drive is just and equitable,” she noted.
Gray noted that energy companies were coming into a greater consciousness of their roles in the energy transition journey and were taking active steps to match their words with action.
Sahara Group, she said, was committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which led to the development of the “extrapreneurship” concept, a reference to the Group’s unique strategy for creating enabling environments for entrepreneurs.
She said the “extrapreneurship” model was propagated through projects centred on two key impact areas of energy and the environment.
These projects, Gray pointed out, seek to drive awareness and affirmative action in support of resource efficiency, sustainability, and economic development through socially and environmentally sustainable ventures.
With vast operations across and beyond Africa, she explained that the path towards energy transition impacts every sector of Sahara Group’s operations, adding that gas had been recognized as a transition fuel in the global energy transition journey.
“Sahara Group continues to invest in infrastructure and technology that will enhance access to gas as an option of clean fuel across Africa. Our Liquefied Petroleum Gas vessels are transforming the LPG market, facilitating seamless supply, while our existing and targeted infrastructure will drive efficient storage and distribution of LPG across markets,” Gray said.
“Sahara Group is also taking a foremost position in advocacy, development of a gas utilization strategy to be balanced with investments in renewable energy projects and carbon storage projects. These plans underpin our areas of focus of resource efficiency and carbon emissions reduction in the drive for sustainability,” she added.
