Partnership for Development

Fri, May 24, 2013
By publisher
3 MIN READ

Power

ECOWAS and General Electric meet to explore areas of collaboration in energy and infrastructural development

By Maureen Chigbo  |  Jun. 3, 2013 @ 01:00 GMT

A MEETING between the officials of Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and General Electric, GE, has agreed to look for areas of collaboration in the development of the energy and infrastructure of the region to boost regional trade and integration. The meeting agreed that the point of entry for this partnership could be through the programmes and activities of the Cape Verde-based ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, ECREE, and other non-carbon-based energy projects including hydro and solar.

Karan Bhatia
Bhatia

The officials also agreed that other potential areas of engagement could be through trade expansion and integration leveraging on the ECOWAS investment-friendly policy and code, which will soon be finalised. Both sides agreed to follow-up discussions on the areas of cooperation and mutually beneficial partnerships.

The meeting took place when Karan Bhatia, GE’s vice president and senior counsel, Global Government Affairs and Policy, led a four-man delegation to visit ECOWAS Commission on May 16, in Abuja. He was received by Toga Gayewea McIntosh, vice president of the ECOWAS commission on behalf of the president of the Commission. McIntosh said the new management at the Commission was calibrating its priorities for effective balance between peace and security and economic development, to deliver on its mandate.

McIntosh (R) welcomes Bhatia
McIntosh (R) welcomes Bhatia

He explained that the inability of individual countries to harness the region’s vast resources makes integration inevitable, and especially through public/private partnerships. The vice president named energy, transportation, oil and gas, health care and capacity building, as the potential areas of collaboration and partnership between ECOWAS and GE. On oil and gas, McIntosh said the extension of the West African Gas Pipeline Project to more ECOWAS member-states is in progress and GE would be invited to join other partners if the need aroses.

In response, Bhatia said that GE shared ECOWAS’ goals on regional integration, which are in consonance with the company’s shift in focus in the past five years to infrastructure, including the manufacturing and construction of power generation plants, health care equipment suited to the West African market, as well as aviation assets, and oil and gas.

For GE with an asset base of $160 billion, “it is not just about market and trade, we are also involved in human capacity development,” he said, adding that this was necessary to create the requisite indigenous capacity that would drive economic growth and regional integration.

(L-R) Del Renigar, Benita Tar, Bhatia, McIntosh, Nils Tcheyan, Olaseni Ashiru, Braimah and Paul Ejime
(L-R) Del Renigar, Benita Tar, Bhatia, McIntosh, Nils Tcheyan, Olaseni Ashiru, Braimah and Paul Ejime

Bhatia was on a two-day visit to Nigeria for talks with various business leaders and stakeholders in the country. Also on the GE delegation were Nils Tcheyan, director, Government Affairs and Policy, GE Africa, Del Renigar, senior counsel, Global Government Affairs and Policy, Africa, Middle East and South Asia, and  Olaseni Ashiru, Government Affairs and Policy, West Africa.

On the ECOWAS side were Alfred Braimah, director, Private Sector, and officials from the External Relations and Communication Directorates.

|

Tags:

4 thoughts on "Partnership for Development"

  1. Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article.
    I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information.
    Thanks for the post. I’ll certainly return.

  2. Its like you learn my thoughts! You appear to understand a lot about this, such as
    you wrote the e book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few % to force the message home a
    little bit, but other than that, that is magnificent blog.
    A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.

  3. I’ll right away grab your rss as I can’t in finding
    your email subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service.
    Do you’ve any? Kindly allow me recognize in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.

  4. Thanks for another informative blog. Where else could I am getting that type of info written in such
    an ideal way? I’ve a mission that I am simply now working on, and I’ve been at the glance
    out for such info.


EEDC promises regular electricity supply at Christmas

THE Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) says it has put adequate measures in place to deliver regular power supply during...

Read More
NDPHC to build 33KV power sub-station in Plateau 

THE Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), is set  to construct a 132/33 Kilovolts (KV) transmission substation in Shendam Local...

Read More
FG’s electricity subsidies rise 2.76% to N199.64bn in Dec — NERC

…Abuja Disco leads beneficiaries with N29bn THE Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has disclosed that electricity subsidies payable by the Federal...

Read More