The recently unveiled Lagos State Energy Master Plan is designed to enhance stable investment environment and provide an expansion for renewable energy policies, Olalere Odusote, state commissioner for energy and mineral resources has said.
Odusote spoke at a management staff retreat of the Lagos State Electricity Board (LSEB) held at Lilly Gate Hotel, Lekki, where he stated that the robust energy policy allows system-wide considerations of security of supply, energy access, affordability, environmental impacts and investment needs.
He noted that the current administration in Lagos was commited towards galvanising effective networks between the government and key stakeholders to advance the deliverables of the energy sector while balancing environmental, economic and social priorities.
While re-emphasising the need to invest in different means of energy generation to ensure the efficiency of the local industries, the commissioner stated that participants must give detailed attention and focus on key methodologies in the energy spectrum to scale up the delivery of sustainable energy.
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In her goodwill message, Olusola Shasore, the permanent secretary in the ministry of energy and mineral resources, said the essence of retreat was to continue the culture of breaking boundaries and delivering strong impact in the state government’s quest towards making Lagos a 21st-century economy, one of the pillars of the THEMES Agenda.
She added that the management retreat which was aimed at building the capacity of management personnel to effectively support current and future challenges in the energy industry was appropriate
“Given that the energy sector is constantly changing and evolving, organisations must have the skills and understanding of complex regulatory regimes, revealing that mainstreaming of energy policy within SDGs is the new undertakings of every progressive government”, she affirmed.
The PS explained that to get future energy infrastructure right for economic needs and the environment, the administration was taking steps to have a well-established and managed energy generation and distribution system that will support the various sectors of society.
Mukhtaar Tijani, the general manager of LSEB, in his welcome address, affirmed that given the highly skilled nature in the energy industry, it is required that the government continue to focus on building a workforce with the necessary technical expertise that will deliver sustainable outcomes.
He said the increasing population and consequent growth in business, medicine, agriculture and education, among other things in the state has led to a greater demand for not only a stable reserve of energy but also more sustainable sources of energy, hence there is a need to substantially increase the proportion of energy mix that renewable energy accounts for.
“Going by the theme of this retreat, “Delivering sustainable and effective energy towards ensuring efficient service delivery in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda’’ the focus on developing people with the most critical skills for achieving our strategic goals in the energy ecosystem is a veritable way to upscale the development priorities”
He explained that the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals has seen significant recognition given to energy as a key enabler for development, with universal access to renewable energy and massive improvements in energy efficiency now part of the top global priorities for sustainable development.
“As with any industry, new technologies, techniques, and better practices are being developed all the time, and Governments have to adapt to these changes constantly. To develop sufficient scope to penetrate the society with energy related technologies, a high degree of sophisticated automation and analytics is needed to manage a system powered by an increasing variety of energy sources”, he noted.
The GM aso noted that one of the priorities of the government in recent years has been improving on the challenges associated with energy by scaling up modern energy projects.
“Currently, the energy sector in the State is being transformed and reformed to meet the ever-increasing demand of our time, particularly moving towards the production of clean forms of energy to make energy reliable and accessible”, he said.
He said the retreat will focus discussion on systemic approaches to the opportunities in energy transition and how we can improve our technical and behavioural tendencies in the workplace.
This retreat is a clear demonstration of confidence the board has in your value to deliver on our strategic goals.
