Mohammed Shosanya

Sahara Energy International, Geneva is working with APIDAE on bee conservation to support efforts geared towards promoting biodiversity and sustainability across the globe.

Sahara Energy Geneva is a subsidiary of leading energy conglomerate Sahara Group and APIDAE, a non-profit organization sets up beehives on behalf of companies across Switzerland to raise awareness about the decline in biodiversity.

Kola Motajo, Director, Sahara Group, said the fact that bees are responsible for pollinating more than 70% of the world’s crops, makes them essential for food production and biodiversity. “For us at Sahara, supporting bee conservation ultimately helps to address hunger and food security, which is one of the sustainable development goals. We believe that this collaboration with APIDAE not only aligns with our sustainability efforts, but also help in creating a more sustainable future as we aim make a difference on the environment,” he said.

Motajo said Sahara Energy Geneva adopted two beehives and hoped that its partnership with APIDAE would inspire other companies and individuals to join the movement towards sustainable practices that would help safeguard the environment for future generations.

“The Sahara team courageously visited the hives to raise awareness on how bees contribute to complex, interconnected ecosystems that allow many different species to co-exist. The exercise provided a platform to celebrate our diversity, making our people more connected to our vision of brining energy to life responsibly. We also had the opportunity to harvest honey; this was a befitting and sweet end to what was a life-changing activity for us,” he added.

Speaking on the collaboration with Sahara Energy Geneva, Tanguy Coustaline, Director, APIDAE, said the organization had in addition to its ecological commitment, launched a program of inclusion through beekeeping, which consists of training migrants or people in precarious situations to become beekeepers, while at the same time compensating them.

“It was this dual ecological and social commitment that convinced Sahara Group to support APIDAE by adopting two beehives in the Geneva countryside, “he added.

Mohammed Shosanya

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), Dr. Philip Mshelbila, has said that the country’s Decade of Gas plan is the most comprehensive plan to restore efforts to fully harness its vast gas resources and ensure a reliable global supply of gas as a clean energy source and a major fuel in the energy transition mix.

He disclosed this during the visit of a delegation from the European Union (E.U.) in Nigeria to NLNG’s plant on Bonny Island, Rivers State at the weekend.

The delegation, led by the E.U. in Nigeria Commissioner for Energy, Ms. Kadri Simson, was received by Dr. Mshelbila; Nnamdi Anowi, General Manager, Production; Andy Odeh, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development and other management staff.

Dr. Mshelbila told the delegation that there were plans to address the root causes of issues in the gas sector, adding that what is needed to complete the plan is the firm will of all stakeholders and urgent action.

According to him,the remedy to industry challenges lies in a concentrated effort on making the gas sector work as the country has huge potentials as the 6th nation with the largest natural gas reserves.

“Our commitment to harnessing the immense potential of natural gas will not only restore Nigeria’s reputation as a major energy powerhouse but also propel us towards a cleaner, greener future. With innovation, collaboration by stakeholders, including the government and investors, especially from Europe, and unwavering determination, we can shape the energy landscape of tomorrow, create more opportunities for gas supply globally, drive economic prosperity, create jobs, and mitigate environmental challenges through gas,” he said.

He further highlighted that investment in Nigeria’s gas sector would wield a far-reaching influence on the global gas and LNG supply landscape, ensuring the world has continuous access to reliable and environmentally sound energy throughout the ongoing energy transition.

He stated that the Train 7 project was about 50% complete and will bolster NLNG’s production capacity to 30 million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) upon completion. He added that NLNG is working on a plan to decarbonise and stated that NLNG was also looking to the future for further expansion with more trains, which would act as catalysts for the continued advancement of the gas sector.

The European Union’s Commissioner for Energy in Nigeria, Ms. Kadri Simson, commended NLNG’s business model.

“The E.U. is accelerating its energy transition, but we also have a need to reinforce our ties with reliable LNG partners like Nigeria in the short-term horizon. This helps us to bridge part of the gap left by former Russian imports while we gradually transition away from fossil fuels. Nigeria has proven to be a reliable partner, and last year, 9.4 bcm of LNG was exported from Nigeria to the E.U. But there is potential to do more – in particular between now and 2027,” she stated.