Representatives from the National Center for Energy Efficiency and Conservation (NCEEC) visited IITA headquarters on 21 April. The team, consisting of research and technical staff, was led by Dr Olawale Ajibola, Director of NCEEC. NCEEC focuses on research and energy conservation; hence the team visited IITA to identify areas of partnership in line with their mandate.
In a meeting with the NCEEC team and IITA management staff, Michael Abberton, IITA West Africa Hub Director, appreciated the team’s interest and proposal to visit IITA. He introduced the team to the activities and technologies of IITA, emphasizing that IITA is a research Institute that is open to partnering with both government and private institutions.
Relating the purpose of their visit, Dr Ajibola stated that as a research center under the Energy Commission of Nigeria, NCEEC manages and harnesses resources for energy conservation, an area in which IITA also has working experience. “We are here because we are visiting stakeholders to partner and see where we can work together on resources and energy conservation,” he said.
The team went on a tour of biogas facilities in IITA, including the youth biogas section established by former corps members in the Institute. Femi Akeredolu, Deputy Head of Facilities Management Service (FMS), took the team through the process of producing biogas and showcasing all the facilities used. “We use waste around the Institute to fill the biogas digester to produce energy. Nothing is really a waste in the agricultural value chain,” he said. The team also visited the Genetic Resources Center (GRC) to see the various seed storage facilities in IITA.
Waheed Quader, Head of FMS, gave a presentation on “Renewable Energies, Africa.” He shared what IITA has been doing to save energy on light and appliances. “The GRC laboratory has a sky-lit roof to admit natural light and reduce the use of electric bulbs. It also has double insulated roof sheets to reduce heat from the sun,” he said. Quader also shared future energy projects that IITA is working on, including a vortex hydroelectric generator, solar water heater, and biogas production and use.
During the wrap-up meeting, Dr Ajibola highlighted areas that the team identified for partnership. He mentioned their interest in vortex hydroelectricity and agricultural waste. However, the team plans to schedule another visit to tour the entire IITA campus to identify more areas of partnership. “We appreciate the IITA management for the tour and exposure. We will go back, plan our time and communicate the next time of visit,” he said.
Contributed by Favour Eleta
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