Operators in the different segments of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) are converging on Abuja for a three day roundtable to assess theperformance of the sector.
The maiden meeting to hold more than ten years since the privatisation of the Nigerian power sector would afford market participants, government agencies and institutions, as well as other key stakeholders to take stock of the challenges, as well as chart a newpathway for progress in the power sector.
Organisers of the event said on Sunday in Abuja that the Roundtable would allow key stakeholders to examine the sector along the lines of defined parameters to clinically determine the issues affecting the smooth operation of the sector and proffer solutions.
“Significantly, this 10 -year milestone, post-privatisation, in view of the continued challenges of the power sector, presents the perfect opportunity that is not so much a celebration, but a sober reflection/retrospection and an audit of how far we have come, how much further we need to go, and what we require for the journey ahead,” Chairman of the Roundtable Planning Committee, Stephen Ogaji, said in Abuja.
The 3 -day Roundtable event, Mr Ogaji said, would have eight plenary sessions focused on deliberation on issued affecting the various segments of the NESI, namely Power Generation; Gas to power; Power Distribution, Transmission, Metering and Customer Centricity,Renewable Energy and Climate Change, Access to Finance, Liquidity andRecapitalization.
Ogaji said the conference would also look at the regulatory k and policy ecosystem, with a particular emphasis on the Electricity Act, 2023.
The privatization of the NESI, he noted, took place in 2013, marking a historic turning point in Nigeria’s energy
sector, and transitioning from the era of the Power HoldingCompany of Nigeria (PHCN) to a system of private investor ownership and participation.
However, he saithe progress in NESI , post-privatization has not fully met the lofty expectations set forth in the National Electricity Power Policy, 2001 (NEPP), the Electric Power Sector Reform Act, 2005 (EPSRA) now Electricity Act 2023, and the Road Map for Power SectorReform, 2010.
Consequently, he said while acknowledging the ten-year post-privatization milestone, under the umbrella of NMPSR, the operators and other stakeholders of NESI were also seeking opportunity to assess the evolution of the privatisation, assess the areas of constraint, and determine a roadmap that would provide the pathway to the progress that is currently impeded by various factors.
The stakeholders roundtable has the Theme: “NESI privatization & it’s 10-year milestone: The Journey So Far, Opportunities and Prospects.”
Expected participants, the organisers said, include leading energy professionals and other related experts who would discuss and determine a way forward for a privatized entities in the NESI, consistent with the aspirations and objectives of the National Electric Power Programme (NEPP).
They said the Roundtable was ultimately, designed as a postprivatisation roadmap that would be presented to decision/policy makers, as NESI market participants and stakeholders’ comprehensive contribution to power sector policy formulation and implementation.
“The meeting is the maiden innovative, explorative, and solution driven journey towards a sustainable energy future for our dear country,” Ogaji said.
