Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno said on Monday that the state would partner with German firms to set up power plants to address the energy challenges in the state.
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He made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Berlin, Germany.
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The governor is in Germany with governors of Rivers, Enugu, Niger, Plateau and Katsina States to understudy the German Federal System of Government with a view to replicating it in their respective states.
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Specifically, the governors are studying that country?s links and coordination mechanisms with respect to administration, policy implementation and fiscal systems.
??Electricity has a pivotal role in any industrial take off and because of its multiplying effect. Right now we are getting only five megawatt of electricity for a state with a population of over five million.
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??And the only solution we have is may be using alternative energy sources in a upgrade system and Germany is the leader in alternative energy.
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??Germany is a leader in solar technology, in wind power and we are best positioned to really buy into this solar energy programme because of our location in the country.
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??So, we have entered into discussion with several German firms towards partnering with them all geared toward setting up 30, 20 megawatt power plant in the state in the foreseeable future.??
Shettima said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed with some of the companies in three weeks’ time, saying that discussions on the projects were already on.
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He expressed optimism that some of the companies would commence the setting up of the power plants by January, 2013.
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NAN reports that the tour was organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GAIC).
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GAIC is presently helping to grow small businesses in some Northern states in Nigeria.
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NAN reports that the German government has entered into an agreement with the Nigerian government to help strengthen institutions in the country and provide managerial training in Nigeria's energy sector to address the challenges in the sector.
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Other areas that are being studied by the governors include Germany’s policies and instruments in the promotion and development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).
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They are also expected to meet with prospective European investors in various sectors of the economy in the course of the tour and also attract same to Nigeria.
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The tour is also expected to expose the governors to the long-term strategic objectives of economic policies, promotion of investment and the development of SMEs during the era of structural adjustment in the defunct East Germany. (NAN)