The United States of America and Nigeria recently held an inaugural strategic energy dialogue in in Washington, DC. The dialogue which held for two days ended on Thursday, September 12, 2024.
While the Assistant Secretary, U.S Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR), Geoffrey, R. Pyatt, led the U.S delegates, Nigeria’s delegates were led by the Minister of State Petroleum Resources Ekperikpe Ekpo.
A press release by the Office of the Spokesperson, U.S. Department of State, indicates that the delegations at the Dialogue highlighted recent advances in U.S -Nigerian bilateral energy cooperation which, among other things, include:
- The Department of State, through its Energy and Mineral Governance Program (EMGP), commits to renewed technical assistance to further support the Government of Nigeria and Nigerian National Petroleum Company in reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
- USAID, through Power Africa, commits an additional $75-85 million technical assistance to Nigeria. The award, which aims to finalize the implementing partner before the end of the 2024, will build on the successes of Power Africa’s Nigeria programs. Over the next five years, it will improve the delivery and sustainability of electricity services in Nigeria while accelerating Nigeria’s power sector decarbonization. Through this program, Power Africa aims to provide more Nigerian homes, businesses, and institutions with sustainable access to electricity.
- The Department of State launches the Clean Energy Alliance of Nigeria (CLEAN). In support of the Clean Energy Demand Initiative, the Department of State’s Power Sector Program (PSP) will launch a “clean energy buyers’ club” in the fall of 2024 to bring together a coalition of corporate consumers, public sector leaders, and other stakeholders to champion the development and use of clean, reliable, and affordable energy resources. In addition, PSP will provide regulatory technical assistance to promote clean energy investment in Nigeria.
- The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Net Zero World program commits more than $1.3 million for clean energy technical support to Nigerian partners. DOE and its national labs are facilitating this effort for clean energy capacity building with Nigeria through DOE’s Net Zero World program. This includes five priority workstreams on methane mitigation from oil and gas sector, total energy sector planning and policy support, a scale up of energy distribution nationally, expanded power sector support, and regional energy market advancement. In addition, DOE appreciates Nigerian government participation in some of our multilateral engagements such as the Carbon Management Challenge and the Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MMRV) partnership.
- The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will welcome the Nigeria Methane Abatement and Flare Gas Utilization Solutions Reverse Trade Mission (RTM) in October. The Nigerian delegation will visit Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; the Permian Basin; and Houston during their 10-day visit, October 20-30. The RTM will connect delegates from Nigeria’s public and private sectors with the latest U.S. technologies, services, and best practices for methane abatement and flare gas utilization in the oil and gas sector.
- U.S.-Nigeria collaboration under the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) capacity-building program: A workshop and series of other capacity-building programs will occur with Nigerian partners in the coming months under the FIRST capacity-building program. FIRST support will advance Nigeria’s consideration of the potential role of advanced nuclear energy technologies in Nigeria’s clean energy mix, consistent with the highest standards of nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation.
On its own part, the US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria reports that the dialogue also included “a public-private discussion hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to deepen private sector partnerships and investments between the United States and Nigeria”.
It adds that over the course of the dialogue, U.S. and Nigerian officials discussed opportunities to expand cooperation on improving energy security and access, decarbonization of the oil and gas sector, and accelerating the energy transition. They also engaged on strategies to enhance Nigeria’s power sector, including electricity production and distribution.
The dialogue, it noted, also advanced bilateral cooperation on key State Department energy initiatives such as the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST), Women in Energy, and the Clean Energy Demand Initiative (CEDI).
Additionally, participants engaged on promoting progress on U.S. government initiatives like Power Africa, which aims to increase electricity access and promote energy, investment in sub-Saharan Africa, USAID’s Gas Flare Program, and the Department of Energy’s Net Zero World”.
Continuing, the Embassy states, “Understanding the fundamental role the private sector plays in meeting our bilateral energy and climate goals, this dialogue aimed to foster enhanced collaboration between the U.S. and Nigerian private sectors, creating new opportunities for American and Nigerian businesses and contributing to the growth and sustainability of the energy sectors in both countries, with the goal of delivering shared prosperity to the Nigerian and American people”; concluding that “The Dialogue was a key outcome of a series of successful bilateral engagements, including Secretary of State Antony’s Blinken’s trip to Nigeria in January 2024, Deputy Secretary Kurt Campbell’s meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar during the sixth U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission in April, and Assistant Secretary Pyatt’s meeting with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023, where this dialogue was agreed”.
In addition to Assistant Secretary Pyatt, the US’ delegation included senior officials from the Bureau of African Affairs, the Office of the Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, USAID’s Power Africa, the Department of Energy, the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM).
