Renewable energy can create over 1m jobs in Nigeria — DG NARICT

Prof. Ibrahim Bugaje, Director-General, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Zaria, on Wednesday said that new approach to renewable energy would create more than one million jobs in Nigeria.

Bugaje said during the sideline of the ongoing International Workshop on Bio-Diesel

Production Technology holding in Zaria.

“If government reviews and adopts a new approach to renewable energy, especially with regards to biofuels, it has the capacity to create over a million jobs.”

Bugaje said the institute had already conducted extensive research on renewable energy, which could be sourced from micro algae, Jatropha, doniana and accede among others.

“We have already tested these seeds and they work very well for biodiesel.

“We better look at the indigenous plants too to see which one will pair well, because these plants have other economic uses.

“There will be employment generation in the farm, there will be employment generation in the factory, there will be employment generation in the production of biodiesel.

“Same goes for the marketing and the whole value chain will be there,” he said.

He said the workshop was aimed at accessing the development of biodiesel industry in Nigeria.

Bugaje said for more than 10 years, the Federal Government had made a policy to encourage the use of bio-diesel along with the conventional fuels, but the policy has remained dormant.

He noted that policy on renewable energy was yet to be implemented especially the development of indigenous technology.

“So, we decided to invite a lead Consultant and Dean, International Collaboration, Delhi Technological University, India, Prof. Naveem Kumar to seat with other stakeholders from Nigeria to explore the challenges and chart a way forward.

He identified complete absence of funds for research as one of the major challenges affecting full utilisation of renewable energy in Nigeria.

“We can’t understand why the outgone federal government was not funding research.