By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Federal Government is planning to partner the People’s Republic of China in developing a renewable energy research centre that will boost renewable energy technology in Nigeria.
The Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation said this in a statement.
According to the statement, the proposed partnership between the Chinese and Nigerian universities is expected to build and upgrade centres of excellence in renewable energy technologies.
According to the ministry, the development will cover areas such as the green energy-solar, wind, hydro, bio-energy, energy efficiency and management.
The statement explained that the idea was unveiled during a courtesy call to the ministry by the country representative of Power China in Nigeria, Ji Yuxin.
In the statement, the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Mohammed Abdullahi, received, on behalf of the ministry, a donation of solar panel equipment from the Department of Commerce of Yunan Province and Kunming Engineering Corporation Ltd of the People’s Republic of China.
Abdullahi said the support received from China would help to stem the tide of rural-urban migration, describing lack of power as the major problem in rural areas.
