Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja 

The federal government has secured an agreement with Germany to fundamentally strengthen the technical foundations of its energy transition, especially with the receipt of €21 million to support the programme in Nigeria.

The deal was contained in the new ‘Joint Declaration of Intent on Bilateral Energy Transition Dialogue and Cooperation’, endorsed at the Working Group on Power, Energy and Climate held in Germany, a statement by Bolaji Tunji, the spokesman to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said.

“This Joint Declaration is a game-changer for our national energy architecture. It moves our partnership with Germany beyond dialogue into the realm of concrete technical assistance, ensuring Nigeria receives the specialised expertise needed to build a robust, sustainable, and secure energy future for our people,” stated the minister of power, who represented Nigeria at the event.

The enhanced technical cooperation complements the long-standing Nigerian-German Energy Partnership (NGEP) and was reached during the meeting where both countries reiterated their commitment to renewable energy and socio-economic development, while also continuing and intensifying their close cooperation to advance energy.

Issues bordering on energy security, renewable energy as well as energy efficiency for socio-economic development, in line with technology innovation and long-term decarbonisation targets, were also discussed.

“The partnership is already delivering tangible benefits, with Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) providing an additional €9 million  in 2024 to the Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP) and a further €12 million for the newly launched Energy Transition Challenge Fund (ETCF).

“The financial mechanisms, including the Green Line of Credit for our SMEs and the mobilisation of private investment through GET.invest are critical enablers. When combined with the technical expertise now formalised in our joint declaration, we are building a comprehensive ecosystem for energy success,” the minister added.

 The working group also underscored the vital role of strategic partnerships between Nigerian and German companies and highlighted the importance of the private sector for the energy relations between both countries.

Besides, the two countries noted the continued progress on the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), while looking forward to further progress in the realisation of this initiative, even as Germany reiterated its desire for NGEP meetings to be held annually at the level of  undersecretaries in the future, beginning from 2026.