UNDP seeks Nigeria’s shift from oil to renewable energy
July 2, 2026 8:59 pm
UNDP Resident Representative, Ms Elsie Attafuah, and other dignitaries on Thursday at the launch of the Africa Minigrids Programme, Nigeria National Pilot Pipelines. Photo: UNDP
By Deborah Musa
The United Nations Development Programme has called for an accelerated transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, warning that continued dependence on oil exposes countries to conflicts, supply disruptions and environmental degradation.
Speaking at the media launch of the Africa Minigrids Programme, Nigeria National Pilot Pipelines, on Thursday in Abuja, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ms Elsie Attafuah, said the global energy landscape had demonstrated the urgent need for cleaner and more resilient energy systems.
She said recent geopolitical tensions had shown how vulnerable the world remained because of its dependence on oil.
Using the Strait of Hormuz as an example, she noted that many people had never heard of the strategic waterway until the recent conflict involving Iran, yet any disruption there would affect lives across the globe.
“I’ve never heard of this place. Who would have thought that a place that many of us have never heard of, let alone visited, would have an impact? A disruption in that Strait would have an impact in all of our lives, irrespective of where you were living. From Japan to the U. to Gambia to Nigeria.”
According to her, the issue is no longer whether there are sufficient oil and gas reserves, but rather the fragility of global supply chains that can cripple economies whenever disruptions occur.
She also argued that oil-producing countries, particularly in Africa, have experienced prolonged conflicts linked to the resource.
“It’s no longer about whether there is enough oil and gas on the ground. There is still an abundance, but even when it’s there, the exposure to vulnerability and fragility in terms of supply chains can mean that all of our lives would halt if we were to wholly depend on this source of energy. Besides that, I was counting the number of countries in Africa that have oil, that are oil-based countries in terms of their economy. More than 50% of them have had conflict because of that oil, starting with ours here.
“Angola has fought a war. South Sudan is in the middle of its own protracted war, and you can just keep counting. This commodity that we all so deeply depend on, also particularly on the continent of Africa, is a source of conflict and sometimes conflicts that never end. So the subject of today is beyond just that we’re doing 23 mini-grids. I think it’s a response to the fact that the world needs to become less dependent on an energy source that is not only conflict-ridden but also is unsustainable and very sensitive to global disruptions”.
Attafuah contrasted this with renewable energy, saying Africa possesses abundant renewable resources capable of driving sustainable development without fueling conflict.
“Renewable energy in Africa has an advantage because we have it also in abundance and it’s not very hard to see; I don’t know, have any of you heard about a war that began as a result of the installation of renewable energy sources? I haven’t heard of conflicts that arose because we installed a few solar panels.”
She added that renewable energy would also help reduce pollution and mitigate the growing impacts of climate change already being experienced across Africa.
The UNDP official said the Africa Minigrids Programme represented one of the organisation’s most ambitious energy access initiatives, having been launched alongside UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner during COP27 in 2022.
She explained that the programme marked a departure from fragmented, donor-funded rural electrification projects by adopting a scalable model anchored on private sector investment.
“If you look at the spread of mini-grid programs, we’re not the first ones. There are hundreds of these programs across, but they were all fragmented, projectized, small-scale, grant-based programs that did not really have the value creation that enabled scale to happen.”
According to her, the new initiative focuses on sustainability and commercial viability by creating opportunities for private investors while delivering affordable clean energy to underserved communities.
“It’s a program designed not just to be implemented as a project from government or UNDP, but really having that piece of the private sector.”
She said communities that previously spent heavily on diesel would continue paying for electricity generated through renewable sources, enabling investors to recover their investments while lowering energy costs.
“So this is not like charity. So the private sector can recover their money because you have a community that is paying. They’ve been paying before that. So it has a business value creation.”
Attafuah said Africa had a unique opportunity to become the world’s first region to achieve full dependence on renewable energy because millions of people still lack electricity and the continent is not constrained by legacy fossil fuel infrastructure.
“We have 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa without access to sustainable energy. So it means that we are starting from ground zero, and it means that we then can leapfrog. We have nothing to dismantle. We can just build.”
She urged governments to view renewable mini-grids not merely as rural electrification projects but as strategic investments capable of transforming national energy systems over the next two decades.
Highlighting Nigeria’s selection as the programme’s flagship country, Attafuah said the country’s existing renewable energy institutions and government commitment positioned it to benefit from emerging global financing opportunities.
“Nigeria is ready. It does make our job easier because we can go out there and advocate for Nigeria because we know there is already infrastructure, there is capability, there is passion, there is commitment from the government side.”
She expressed satisfaction that the programme was beginning to deliver tangible results, saying its long-term success would be measured not only by electricity generated but by broader socio-economic transformation.
“But the real legacy of today’s launch will not ultimately be measured by the number of mini-grids that we commission or the megawatts we install. I think it will be measured by the businesses that they help create, the investment that they attract, the farmers whose incomes will increase, the women whose lungs can breathe easier.
“This is the future that UNDP is proud to support. It is the future that Nigeria is helping us demonstrate and it is the future that Africa inclusively has the confidence, the partnerships and the capabilities to build for itself”, she concluded.
Deborah Musa is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with five years of experience in journalism, including three years covering the judiciary. She focuses on producing accurate, well-researched reports that provide clarity on legal and justice-related issues. Deborah’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience and editorial diligence.
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