Nigeria imports 1m air conditioners, warns against sub standard products
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Nigeria imports one million air conditioners yearly, United Nations Environment Programme (UNECP) representative Brian Holuj has disclosed, with a warning the appliances eat deep into energy bills because most are sub standard.
Abuja reacted by saying the country should not be a dumping ground for air conditioners and refrigerators with energy efficiency ratio below internationally acceptable minimum energy performance standard.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Adeleke Mamora stressed at the National Stakeholders’ Consultative Workshop on Energy Efficient and Climate-Friendly Cooling in Nigeria that enforcement of laws should be intensified.
He spoke after listening to the presentation by Holuj on the magnitude of pollution caused by the influx of substandard cooling devices into Nigeria.
“I listened to your presentation and certain issues were raised in it. There is the issue of monitoring and enforcement of protocols. Often times, we have beautiful policies and laws, but it is not the beauty of the policy, guideline or law that matters. It is the zeal for implementation that is most important,” Mamora said.
“You mentioned this issue of Minimum Energy Performance Standard. What I think is that you have a minimum standard, but if there is no compliance with that, then we cannot get results. And if we must get results, it means the enforcement agencies must be alive to their responsibilities.”
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Ensuring efficient cooling appliances
“The [Nigeria] Customs [Service, NCS], Standard Organisation of Nigeria [SON], and other relevant agencies need to be alive to their responsibilities and ensure that Nigeria does not become a dumping ground, where you just bring in all sorts of products that are not in line with what we expect by way of standards,” Mamora said, per The PUNCH.
Mamora explained the workshop, organised by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and UNEP, sought to promote energy efficiency best practices in the cooling sector.
He said UNEP officials came to support Nigeria’s transition from inefficient cooling appliances to the most efficient ones in line with the commitment of the country to mitigating climate change challenges.
“It is a fact that Nigeria is the largest market in Africa, and this also applies to the cooling sector.
“With the current growing population, combined with improving lifestyle, urbanisation and rising global warming, Nigeria will continue to experience growing demand for air conditioners, refrigerators and other cooling devices.
“Thus becoming one of the fastest growing air conditioners and refrigerators market in the world.
“Unfortunately, most of the air conditioners utilised in the country have an energy efficiency ratio below internationally acceptable minimum energy performance standard.”