The Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have called for stronger policies, regulations and enforcement mechanisms to accelerate energy efficiency and conservation in Nigeria.
The call was made at the ECN-JICA two-day National Workshop on Energy Efficiency and Conservation in Abuja, themed ‘Accelerating Energy Efficiency and Conservation in Nigeria: Bridging Policy, Regulation and Implementation for Measurable Impact.’
Director-General of the ECN, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, said energy efficiency should be treated as an additional source of energy because it reduces the need for new generation capacity while improving the utilisation of available electricity.
Abdullahi said the Commission’s recent industrial energy survey, conducted with the National Bureau of Statistics, showed that industrial energy expenditure runs into trillions of naira annually, with a significant proportion spent on self-generated electricity, particularly diesel-powered generation.
He said inefficiencies, ranging from oversized captive generators to poorly maintained equipment, represented substantial economic losses that coordinated policy, regulation and implementation could address.
‘Every inefficiency in that chain, from oversized captive generators to poorly maintained equipment, is money leaving the productive economy for no productive return,’ he said.
The ECN boss said the workshop was designed to bring policymakers, regulators and industry implementers together to develop specific actions covering the built environment, transportation, human capacity development, industry, standards and enforcement.
He stressed that energy efficiency policies would have limited impact without clear standards, effective enforcement and appropriate financing mechanisms.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who chaired the opening ceremony, said Nigeria’s growing energy needs could not be addressed solely by increasing power generation and expanding infrastructure.
The minister said greater attention must also be given to how energy is produced, distributed and consumed, describing energy efficiency and conservation as practical pathways to reducing waste, lowering operating costs, improving industrial competitiveness and strengthening energy security.
He said emerging technologies, including smart energy-management systems, digital monitoring, efficient appliances, advanced building technologies, smart meters, energy storage, artificial intelligence and data analytics, could help transform energy management in Nigeria.
The minister urged stronger collaboration among research institutions, universities, technology hubs, industries, and policymakers to ensure research and innovation translate into practical solutions.
The keynote speaker, former ECN Director-General, Emeritus Professor Abubakar Sambo, said Nigeria needed to move away from an almost exclusive focus on increasing electricity supply and give greater attention to energy efficiency as a ‘first fuel’.
Sambo said the country’s energy efficiency regulatory framework faced a legislative gap, noting that although policies such as the National Energy Policy and Renewable Energy Master Plan had laid the foundations, Nigeria still lacked a standalone, legally binding Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.
He proposed establishing an EE and C Legislative Task Force involving the ECN and relevant National Assembly committees to advance the proposed legislation.
Sambo also called for a National Energy Efficiency Fund (NEEF) to provide low-interest financing for industrial energy-efficiency retrofits.
He further proposed that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) require electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to dedicate between two and five per cent of their annual operational budgets to demand-side management programmes.
Such measures, he said, would encourage DisCos to move beyond simply selling electricity towards helping consumers reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency.
On appliance standards, Sambo called for stronger enforcement of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), including closer cooperation between the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigeria Customs Service to prevent inefficient appliances from entering the Nigerian market.
He proposed a phased implementation of MEPS involving institutional strengthening, market surveillance, public awareness and eventual mandatory enforcement.
Sambo also advocated establishing a National Energy Efficiency Testing Laboratory, harmonising regional standards, and training customs personnel to identify non-compliant appliances.
He said energy efficiency could provide significant additional capacity without the capital costs of building new power plants.
Sambo further proposed incorporating energy-efficiency compliance certification into building development processes, arguing that passive design measures such as shading, natural ventilation and daylighting should be integrated into buildings from the design stage.
He said the proposed measures would help Nigeria shift from prolonged policy discussions to measurable implementation.
‘Efficiency is our cleanest, cheapest, and most abundant energy source,’ Sambo said, stressing the need for Nigeria to leverage the ECN-JICA partnership to achieve practical and measurable improvements in energy efficiency.
Chief Representative of the JICA Nigeria Office, Mr Ishigame Keiji, said improving energy efficiency had become imperative as Nigeria continued to experience rapid population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation and increasing demand for electricity.
He stressed the need for the country to adopt smarter energy solutions that improve energy productivity while supporting sustainable economic development.
According to him, Nigeria can draw valuable lessons from Japan’s experience in improving energy efficiency through the deployment of energy management systems, efficient technologies, standards and effective regulatory frameworks.
He said adopting such measures could help Nigeria maximise available energy resources while reducing wastage and improving productivity across key sectors of the economy.
Keiji reaffirmed JICA’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen capacity and develop practical approaches to energy efficiency and conservation.