Renewable energy employs 15,000 Nigerians
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has said no fewer than 15,000 people were employed in the renewable energy sub-sector of the power industry in Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and other countries in West Africa and Southern Africa (excluding South Africa) in 2016.
The Agency, a renewable energy research group, in an online report on the rate of employment in renewable energy sub-sector in countries across the world, said 9.8million employment was recorded globally in 2016.
The Agency further stated that considering the enormity of renewable energy potentials in West and Southern Africa countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, among others, the sub-sector supposed to create much more employment than the 15,000.
According to IRENA, the employment figure in the renewable sub-sector is expected to increase to 30million in 2030 from the current 9.8million as more countries are taking steps to combat climate change while investing in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, bio-mass and others, in order to improve electricity supply.
In an online report on the rate of employment in renewable energy across the world, the firm said 9.8million employment was recorded in last year. Out of this, West and Southern Africa countries employed 15,000 workers; North Africa 16,000; South Africa 30,000; Germany 334,000; France 162,000; rest of European Union (EU) 667,000; United States (US) 777,000; Brazil 876,000; India 385,000; Japan 333,000; China 3.6million; Bangladesh 162,000 and others.
The Agency said last year’s employed 9.8million marked an increase of 1.1 per cent from that of 2015. It further said global renewables employment has been increasing since 2012, adding that jobs creation in the sub-sector would increase in the years to come.
The firm’s Director-General, Abu Dhabi, said employment in renewables excluding large hydro power, increased by 2.8 per cent to 8.3million people, with China, Brazil, US, India, Japan and Germany leading the job markets. Global renewables employment, he said, has been increasing since 2012.
Nigeria’s renewable energy subsector is also growing as organisations from Germany, France and others have indicated interest in providing technical assistance, among rendering other services. One of such institutions is Green Elec, which is helping to generate solar energy in the country. Green Elec has offices in France and Lagos and plans to build mini-solar grids in five states in the country.
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