Foreign envoys throw their weight behind NIES 2023
…Sylva calls on support for various National Pavilions at the summit
Members of the Diplomatic Corps in Nigeria have thrown their weight behind the only annual Federal Government of Nigeria official energy event tagged, Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES), formerly known as Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS). They have also declared their readiness to work towards the hosting of their various countries’ pavilions at the upcoming NIES 2023 scheduled to take place in Abuja from April 16th to 20th, 2023.
“NIES remains an international event and the international community should continue to step-up cooperation with the organisers as the programme draws closer”, said Mr Salaheddine Abbas Ibrahima, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Nigeria at a dinner for the diplomatic community hosted by Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, in Abuja recently.
Ibrahima who doubles as the Cameroonian envoy to Nigeria also underscored the importance of the energy industry globally, stressing that for years, this kind of close interaction between Nigeria’s Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the stakeholders in the energy industry had not happened in years.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who brought together ambassadors of different countries under the same roof with key players in the oil and gas sector, stated that Nigeria will continue to use the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) to accelerate global energy transition agenda as it continues to promote energy efficiency and renewable technologies.
“Energy is the basic resource for national socio-economic development and it must be secured at all times. As a result of its rising impact on national security and economy, the need to safeguard energy and ensure availability, reliability and affordability has made energy diplomacy an essential part of every country’s foreign cooperation,” Sylva said
“NIES is also fast becoming a platform for showcasing engineering and technological breakthroughs in the energy sector,” he added.
While lauding the ambassadors for the work they have put in to sustain Nigeria’s relationship with their various countries, Sylva also called on the diplomats to facilitate the setting up of their various National Pavilions at the upcoming NIES 2023.
“As a result of its rising impact on national security and economy, the need to safeguard energy and ensure availability, reliability and affordability has made energy diplomacy an essential part of every country’s foreign cooperation.
Speaking on behalf of the parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources who are joint hosts of NIES, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development Management Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, said that working with the diplomatic community remained key to the future of the energy sector in Nigeria. Such a move, according to him, would help the country address some of the key challenges as it relates to the energy sector.
