FCMB wants collaboration in agric, power sectors

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and power sectors in Nigeria to deepen access to renewable sources of energy for the country to take full advantage of the opportunities in these areas to fast-track and sustain growth.

The bank said that could be achieved by developing and implementing strategies that focus on efficiency, sustainability, accessibility and affordability with off-grid energy systems as drivers.

The Executive Director, Finance, of FCMB, Mrs. Yemisi Edun, stated this in her keynote address at a conference organised by the bank on Energy-Agric Nexus for Rural Economic Development, under the theme, ‘Stimulating the Agricultural Sector through Off-Grid Energy Development’, held November 26 to 27, 2019 in Abuja.

It was in partnership with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), European Union, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) Foundation and Power for All. The conference provided

rare opportunity for a operators in agribusiness and the power sector to engage in constructive and interactive sessions with industry experts and decision makers on harnessing and deploying alternative, renewable, clean and affordable sources of energy, particularly the Offgrid power systems strategy, to stimulate farming.

Mrs. Edun said the bank’s decision to organise the conference was borne out of its strong and consistent commitment towards contributing to the improvement of Nigeria’s energy access; to engender a sustainable future for businesses, homes and individuals for overall national development.