VIRTUAL: Livable Cities – New York
Abstract
The EIU annual report (EIU 2022) ranked Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria, as the second worst liveable city in relation to the quality of energy provision. This paper investigates the development of renewable energy (RE) in Nigeria (solar and wind technologies) to address climate change, energy security and access issues, and promote better air quality. Nigeria is a fossil-fuel-dependent nation and a major exporter of crude oil. However, the country has energy supply challenges and low energy access. As a result, the Nigerian government introduced RE policies in 2015 to promote an energy transition to address these challenges. Despite abundant RE sources, policies and strategies, there has not been any RE technology introduced on the Nigerian grid. Therefore, this paper examines the challenges inhibiting the actualisation of RE technologies by assessing the planning process and governance in cities in Nigeria. Employing transition management and multi-level perspective frameworks and incorporating accountability and transparency concepts the research proposes a technology roadmap to drive and support on-grid RE development and promote liveability. In-depth interviews were conducted with an elite sample of thirty-one energy and non-energy industry actors. The study identified several multifaceted challenges impacting RE development, including infrastructural, policy, political and technological barriers. In the end, key elements of the roadmap for implementing on-grid renewable electricity generation strategies in Nigeria were obtained. It provides policymakers and planners a guide to foster and accelerate the transition to clean energy on the Nigerian grid.
Racheal Adedokun is a Lecturer in Management at Robert Gordon University and currently studying for a PhD in Management, focusing on the Strategic planning process and governance with the role of accountability and transparency of energy transition. Her most recent projects are on the effect of COVID-19 deployment on teamwork, leadership, career intentions and mental health in NHS personnel sponsored by ESRC and decision-making in the Front-End Loading Stage of Project Management in the UKCS Oil and Gas Industry sponsored by ECITB.
Professor Peter Strachan has worked at the Robert Gordon University for nearly 30 years. His research interests cover the theoretical and public policy aspects of energy transition. In supporting this work, Professor Strachan has received funding from the United Kingdom (UK) Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Innovate UK. His published work focuses on sub-national government and pathways to sustainable energy, corporate and community ownership models, and the performance of UK offshore windfarms. Professor Strachan’s published outputs have appeared in prestigious peer reviewed journals such as Energy Policy, Energy Research and Social Science, Environment and Planning C, and Regional Studies. Passionate about research and in training the next generation of researchers, he has supervised to completion twenty-one doctoral students. Finally, Professor Strachan is a regular contributor to the Aberdeen Business School MBA and MSc Energy Management Programmes.
Dr. Anita Singh is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director of MBA and Post Graduate Management Programmes at Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University UK. Anita has extensive industry experience in Management Consultancy assignments which involved economic analysis including Social Cost Benefit Analysis and Input Output Analysis for several large-scale projects. Most of the projects were funded by JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation), World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Anita has also worked in the field of Reward Management in the Oil and Gas industry at Aberdeen, UK. Her research interests include labour markets in energy sector, oil & gas economics, renewable energy, economics of energy transitions, sustainability, and climate change.
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Friday 16th June, 2023