Access to Sustainable Energy: What role for international oil and gas companies? Focus on Nigeria

Development experts agree that ensuring access to sustainable modern energy services is critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. According to the UNDP, some 2.4 billion people still use traditional biomass fuels for cooking, while around 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity. In this report we explore how international oil and gas companies can contribute to tackling energy poverty in the regions where they operate. Successful initiatives need to be developed in partnership with other actors (government, donors, international NGOs, researchers and civil society). Energy poverty cannot be addressed in isolation from other development challenges, including general poverty alleviation; provision of clean water; agricultural development; and the provision of education and health services. This report focuses on Nigeria, a country with huge energy resources, yet suffering an ongoing energy crisis; a country that benefits from considerable oil investment and revenues, as well as aid money, yet continues to face major environmental and poverty issues.
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Available at https://www.iied.org/16022iied