Sustainable Energy for All: Towards Full Access to Energy

National launch of SE4All: High Level Event. 23 August 2012, Abuja

The UN Secretary-General launched the global initiative - Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), following the declaration of 2012 as the International Year for Sustainable Energy for All. Today, SE4All is a mature initiative with real action on the ground, billions pledged in commitments for real action and the global network of stakeholders and practitioners, who operate throughout informal working groups, driving real action on the ground and reaching millions of people who in poor communities.

As a country with vast oil and gas reserves, abundant sunlight and significant hydropower potential, Nigeria should not be suffering an energy crisis. Yet, despite the abundance of energy resources, about 50 per cent of Nigeria's population (some 76 million people) has no access to electricity. The figure is as high as 90 per cent in rural areas. Close to 95 million people are fully reliant on traditional wood stoves for cooking, a large but unknown number of households (urban and rural) rely on generators for their electricity needs. The markets for electricity and fuels are inefficient and are suffering from the persistent imbalances of demand and supply. Nigeria has emerged as a country with the one of the biggest gap between supply and demand for electricity, i.e. 80 per cent.

In this context, the Nigerian government, UNIDO, the UN Foundation and the UN Secretary-General's office are convening a national SE4ALL Launch in Abuja, Nigeria on 23 August 2012. This event will contribute to the High Level Energy Forum and the regional SE4ALL Framework.