Economy
Nigeria Launches Energy Efficiency Label
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Energy Guide Label, a seal to guide Nigerians on the amount of energy consumed by air conditioners, lamps and refrigerators, has been launched by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in collaboration with the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP).
The project is funded by the European Union and the German Government.
Speaking at the launch of the label in Lagos, Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, declared that the label will guide future manufacture and importation of lamps, refrigerators and air conditioners as well as other electrical appliances/equipment in Nigeria.
According to her, the energy guide label was designed for the Nigerian market to be attached on electrical appliances to provide information on the accurate energy consumption of a product. The event was an expose, into teaching consumers to make informed purchasing decisions on electrical products and appliances.
Represented by Mr Barnabas Jatau, a Deputy Director in the Ministry, she stated that the label would provide information on energy performance on air conditioners, refrigerators and lamps and show the conformity of the appliances to the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) in Nigeria.
The label is important to help consumers purchase appliances that will reduce the amount of money spent on electrical bills, she said.
“The Nigeria energy label is a consumer guide on how to identify efficiency rating of appliances indicated by 1 star for less efficient to 5 stars for more efficient appliances.
“With this label, any air conditioner that is less than 1-star rating will no longer be allowed into the Nigerian market. The label will be attached to all appliances with approved minimum energy performance standards and label,” she said.
The Minister of State disclosed that the development of the Minimum Energy Performance Standards and launching of the label are some of the steps taken by Nigeria as one of the signatories to the climate change treaty to ensure that measures are in place to comply with policies that would reduce energy consumption, thereby reducing emission of greenhouse gasses.
Presenting a paper at the occasion, Director General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr Osita Aboloma noted that the current power available to Nigeria is far below what is required, stressing the need to manage available power efficiently.
Dr Justin Nickaf, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, who represented the SON helmsman disclosed that his organisation has been working with the UNDP and other members of the energy efficiency review committee, to develop the minimum energy performance standards for lamps and refrigerators, which specify maximum energy consumption of such appliances allowed in the Nigerian market.
This according to him, was followed up with series of enlightenment and sensitization campaigns to importers, marketers and consumers, alike.
Mr Aboloma stated that SON has designed a road map in conjunction with manufacturers for implementation of the MEPS and label. He stressed that enforcement of the label is scheduled to commence after 18 months of the launching.
This he said, is to allow old stocks to be exhausted while importers of completely built units are to fully comply with the standard and label, six months after the launch.
The Head, Nigeria Energy Support Program, Ina Hommers said the label would help Nigerian Consumers make informed decisions as well as Manufacturers and Importers with choice of products.
Hommers said non environment friendly refrigerants and sources of greenhouse gas will no longer be used in both air conditioners and refrigerators in Nigeria which is joining over 100 nations already implementing MEPS and the label. She posited that air conditioners and refrigerators manufactured in Nigeria will gain more market within ECOWAS as a result of the standard and label.
Among other stakeholders present at the launch were, the EU Project officer on Energy, Mr Godfrey Ogbemudia, President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), represented by Mr Mba Sam Qweh and President of NACCIMA, represented by Ms Rebecca Ajibade, Director of Research, Statistics and Development.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira opened the new trading week on a negative note on Monday at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) and the black market.
At the parallel market, the Nigerian currency weakened against the US Dollar by N5 to sell for N1,380/$1 compared with the preceding session’s rate of N1,375/$1, and at the GTBank FX desk, it shed N1 to trade at N1,373/$1 versus N1,372/$1.
At the official market, it lost 63 Kobo or 0.05 per cent against the Dollar during the session to close at N1,362.84/$1, in contrast to last Friday’s value of N1,362.21/$1.
However, the Nigerian Naira gained N2.30 against the Pound Sterling at the spot market yesterday, quoting at N1,821.29/£1 compared with the previous rate of N1,823.59/£1, and improved against the Euro by 23 Kobo to settle at N1,574.35/€1 versus N1,574.58/€1.
Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that interbank forex turnover increased to $92.248 million across 90 deals, from $73.565 million last Friday.
On the policy front, participants believed that the application of the fourth edition of the Foreign Exchange Manual of the central bank, which introduces updated guidelines for foreign exchange transactions and tightening compliance requirements for authorised dealers and market participants, will enhance market flexibility and ease previous restrictions.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market snapped from recent declines, jolted by Strategy’s purchase of 1,550 Bitcoin for approximately $101 million, increasing its total holdings to 845,256 BTC. The company raised $181 million through common stock sales, using the proceeds to fund the bitcoin purchase and increase its cash reserves to $1 billion, pushing the price of the coin higher by 3.2 per cent to $63,731.69.
Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 8.4 per cent to $0.1738, Ethereum (ETH) rose by 5.2 per cent to $1,711.54, Solana (SOL) expanded by 5.1 per cent to $67.82, and Ripple (XRP) improved by 4.9 per cent to $1.18.
Further, Dogecoin (DOGE) jumped by 4.3 per cent to $0.0873, Binance Coin (BNB) soared by 2.7 per cent to $609.50, and TRON (TRX) increased by 0.7 per cent to $0.3274, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $0.9997 and $0.9998, respectively.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The federal government has been advised to consider exploring other funding sources to finance its budget deficits.
Speaking with Punch recently, the chief executive of CSA Advisory, Mr Aliyu Ilias, said the current appetite for borrowing by the government cannot be sustained because it elevates debt-servicing costs.
The economist suggested the sale of some public assets and the involvement of the private sector in infrastructure financing for economic growth.
According to him, running to the debt markets to raise funds for the government is not the best route to take, as the reliance on borrowing always leads to higher debt-servicing obligations.
“The more you borrow, the more you are also incurring more debt services,” he said, tasking the government to also capitalise on increased oil revenues stemming from ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
“The government can actually sell off some of their assets to raise more money. The government can also, if you look at the revenue we are getting from oil, it’s getting more, especially with this war. It’s another opportunity for us to actually not borrow again,” Mr Ilias submitted.
He also pointed to ongoing tax reforms as another avenue to improve government finances and narrow the fiscal gap.
“The government can also look at tax reform. The fact is that the government does not have money. The only chance for getting more money is to address the financial deficit,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Crude oil was up by $1 on Monday as Iran and Israel said they had halted attacks on each other following an appeal from US President Donald Trump.
Brent crude futures gained $1.16 or 1.3 per cent to trade at $94.25 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 76 cents or 0.8 per cent to $91.30 per barrel.
Iran’s military said Monday it halted attacks on Israel after the two countries exchanged their most intense strikes in months, further straining an already shaky ceasefire as well as the US-Israeli relationship. Iran, however, said it would resume strikes if Israel continued to hit Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel also halted attacks on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, stopping short of acknowledging a ceasefire that US President Donald Trump said the countries were aiming for.
President Trump said earlier that the US blockade, which was introduced in April, would remain in place “in full force” until a final peace agreement between the two warring nations is reached.
Prices gained more than 5 per cent earlier on Monday after renewed Israeli strikes on Iran and attacks on Lebanon had reduced hopes of an imminent end to the wider war.
Market analysts noted that because of the strikes, investors were concerned that flows through the Strait of Hormuz might remain restricted for longer. Roughly a fifth of the world’s daily supply of oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the waterway before US-Israeli airstrikes at the end of February unleashed the latest escalation of the Middle Eastern conflict.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they would ban ships linked to Israel from the Red Sea after Israel renewed its military attacks on Iran, adding to concerns about global shipping and energy flows.
In the face of the supply crisis, a sub-group under the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) on Sunday agreed on its fourth oil output target increase in four months. The seven members decided to increase targets by 188,000 barrels per day from July, the same as the June hike, which was adjusted down from monthly increases of 206,000 barrels per day in May and April to take into account the exit of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On paper, the sub-group has increased its output quotas from April to June by almost 600,000 barrels per day, but in reality, the group’s production has collapsed due to export cuts by Gulf members, averaging 33.19 million barrels per day in April compared with 42.77 million barrels per day in February.
Saudi Arabia has cut its official selling prices for crude oil to Asia in July for a second month.
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