The Energy Republic July Edition 2022

SPECIAL REPORT
African Women in Energy Advocate
Pathway for Green Hydrogen
African women are now positioning
to champion the production and
the increase of green hydrogen
which requires vast renewable energy
usage. The production of renewables by
women will be for both domestic market
and export to European countries for the
next couple of years ahead.
According to report, Women make up
about 50 percent of the global
population. However, the percentage of
women working in the energy sector
across the decades on average fluctuates
around 30 percent.
In the just concluded Brunch Networking
event in Lagos yesterday organized by
the German-Nigerian Hydrogen Office in
collaboration with the Women in Green
Hydrogen (WiGH) and the African Energy
Chamber (AEC) has now created a bridge
between women working in Africa and
the energy transition through green
hydrogen opportunities.
The event which hosted many women
ncluding University students, early, midtier
and senior professionals within the
private and public sector in Nigeria. The
audience was entirely women reaching
demographics across the energy and
electricity sectors in Nigeria. They shared
their insights on the energy transition
and challenges faced as well as business
opportunities. A goodwill message was
shared by Ruchi Soni, Programme
Manager at SEforALL who leads the
initiative on Results-based Financing and
Universal Energy Facility.
The keynote speaker for the event, Dr.
Rita Okoroafor, a former principal
reservoir engineer and currently at
Stanford University, introduced the
hydrogen processes and emphasized, that
“diversity improves the bottom line “there’s
no just transition where we do not include the
voice of women”. She strongly urged African
woman to take hold of opportunities in
academia, while understanding the business
and commercial activities of the global energy
transition.
The event was graced by two all women
panel; the first session addressed the energy
security and Nigeria preparedness for it.
Grace Orife, CEO Adelaar Energy shared
insights on commercial impact of the
acclaimed Decade of Gas and necessary
financing for the energy transition.
She stated further that the Federal
Government has designated 2030 for the
attainment of Decade of Gas for Nigeria. As an
energy transition, Nigeria made her stand
known on gas.
Orife added that the country has huge gas
reserves that can boost its power sector with
an enormous opportunity to make electricity
available for its citizens. Gas has also created
access for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG),
thus becoming a change player for other
sectors in the value chain such as agriculture
and fertilizers.
According to her, gas encourages access on
power and opportunities for the country’s
vision of Decade of Gas. Some gas project
have been funded by banks under Nigeria
Content Development.
In her words, Rosario Osobase, Head
Commercial Teranis Nigeria limited, said that
there is the need for Nigeria to create a
pathway to green hydrogen energy even as
the country has a focus on gas as it’s transition
energy.
Osobase maintained that Nigeria”s focus on
gas as part of the efforts to close the huge
energy gap which is about 40 to 50 percent in
Nigeria and Africa is a fair approach to energy
transition.
Osobase pointed out the need to think of
drastic and accelerated way of the pathway to
energy transition. “And there’s no one side
way to the approach we have to take, there
should be several different dimensions
including Green-Hydrogen and why is Green-
Hydrogen important? From my own research I
see that Green-Hydrogen is very important to
the rate of net zero and decarbonization in the
sense when we are thinking of our
decarbonization context as a country or as
African continent.
“It is important that while we focus on natural
gas in the midterm view we need to also look
at the long term view for the posterity of our
generations to come so that being said what
we must do to be ready for the market given
the complexity of the gas infrastructure..
“The first thing I will always say is to begins
with Leadership, visionary leadership always
comes with a lot of policy formation that
guides the pace of the development of a
renewable energy including gas as our own
transition fuel as well so the second one is to
develop a well clear regulatory framework.
According to her the European Union is doing
a lot now in response to the global energy
crisis occasioned by the Russian/ Ukraine war.
“You would see that E.U has taken its stance
where they brought out a plan called
REPOWER E.U, it’s a very simple plan but I find
it more intriguing and ambitious because
when we look at this, what they are planning
to do is to loose complete dependancy on
Russia fossils because of the global crisis
you’ve seen it’s volatility in its region its
destabilizing the energy fronts and metrics.
“With plans like this that are ambitious, you
can see EU taking a part that’s aggressive
towards not just ensuring they are lowering
their carbon footprints while they are at it,
there are alot of things we can learn from
other countries” Osobase said.
The Head – German-Nigerian Hydrogen
Office; Gina Lagunes poised why this was an
adequate time for Nigeria as a fossil fuel
exporting country to explore green hydrogen
in a sustainable manner ahead of global
energy security.
Why exploring hydrogen in future, the
demand for fossil fuel will be reduced by
2050.
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THE ENERGY REPUBLIC I SPECIAL EDITION