MAN Targets Green Energy, Carbon Credits, and Structured Financing at Upcoming Summit
By Azeez Disu
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) is targeting the widespread adoption of green energy, access to global carbon credit frameworks, and innovative structured financing mechanisms to drastically reduce operational overheads across the country’s industrial sector. As escalating energy tariffs, grid instability, and fuel price volatility continue to squeeze corporate profit margins, the industrial body is spearheading a coordinated national transition towards factory-roof solarisation, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and captive gas-to-power integration to safeguard manufacturing competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
This strategic roadmap was formally unveiled during a press conference held at MAN House in Ikeja, Lagos, announcing the forthcoming Manufacturers Energy Security and Energy Efficiency Summit. Organised through MAN’s power resource vehicle, Manufacturers Power Development Company Ltd (MPDCL), in strategic partnership with the German Development Agency (GIZ) and the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), the executive summit is scheduled for Tuesday, 3rd November to Wednesday, 4th November 2026, at the Legend Hotel Lagos Airport, Curio Collection by Hilton. Convened under the theme “Innovative Energy for Cost-Effective Smart Manufacturing with Structured Financing,” the two-day gathering will bring together industrial Chief Executive Officers, project sponsors, technology leaders, utility regulators, and international finance institutions.
The Industrial Reality: Cost Bottlenecks and Regional Competitiveness
Addressing media representatives at MAN House, Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, OFR, mni, President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, articulated the severe economic pressures currently confronting domestic producers:
“This press conference is convened to bring national and international prominence to the critical dialogue that directly impacts the survival, competitiveness, and sustainable growth of Nigerian industries. It brings to the fore, the imperative of Industrial Energy Security and Energy Efficiency, with particular focus on industrial energy cost reduction for the manufacturing sector.”
Detailing how energy infrastructure deficits erode industrial profitability and price stability, Dr. Okoye stated:
“We are all aware that energy remains the single largest operational cost center and structural bottleneck for the Nigerian manufacturer. High electricity tariffs, grid unreliability, fuel price volatility, and heavy dependence on expensive self-generation severely erode the competitiveness of our domestic industries. These persistent challenges do not merely hamper operational capacity; they fuel consumer price inflation, stifle job creation, and hinder our capacity to fully leverage regional economic frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”
He stressed that overcoming these structural challenges requires deep public-private collaboration and financial alignment:
“To build a resilient, self-sustaining economy, we must address these challenges through a multi-faceted approach by expanding our energy infrastructure, accelerating energy efficiency adoption, diversifying industrial energy sources, and forging deep public-private capital partnerships.”
“The manufacturing sector remains the quintessential engine for job creation, economic diversification, and sustainable GDP growth in Nigeria. Unlocking the full potential of our industries requires that we solve the energy security equation once and for all.”
Policy Advocacy and Investment Mobilisation
Emphasising the overarching objective of the summit, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, mni, Director General of MAN, explained that high-level engagement serves to directly shape public policy and direct financial investment into power infrastructure:
“advocacy is a continuous process and the stakeholders that we bring together will help us to shape the future dimension of government policies.”
“Why we continue to organize it and continue to hold it is that we want decisions that have been taken to influence the budget outlook for the following year and also to attract more investment.”
He further noted that connecting external capital providers directly with factory owners will facilitate vital capital injection to address off-grid power shortages and support machinery upgrades
Operationalising Energy Efficiency and Off-Grid Transition
Highlighting practical implementation models, Oweh Ono Mba-Sam, Acting Managing Director of Manufacturers Power Development Company Limited (MPDCL), stressed the role of Energy Efficiency Networks (EEN) and off-grid renewable deployments in lowering floor-level operational expenses:
“They have a network where they are seriously encouraging manufacturers to like adopt energy efficient practices. So part of their policy after this summit is to amplify that network and use it to create more awareness for industry nationwide so that we the manufacturers company can do as as much as making sure that as many years are reached in terms of energy efficiency.”
Emphasising the long-term commitment required for industrial transition, Mba-Sam added:
“This is a continuous process. The summit is just taking off from there. Once we take off, we are on it. Nobody is going back.”
He elaborated that deploying integrated solar-PV and battery storage systems enables industrial plants to drastically cut diesel dependence and optimise manufacturing output.
DisCo Accountability and Gas Pricing Reform
Addressing utility grid dynamics and structural price disparities in gas inputs, Chief John Aluya, Chairman of Manufacturers Power Development Company Limited, called for accountability among Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) and fairer gas pricing models for manufacturers:
“How do you expect manufacturing to be able to compete with your pay-for-experience? This is why the government was going to address the Moscow Eco-Disco. Disco today, I don’t think, I don’t see them offering anything. I think they have to reassess their business mode.”
Summit Focus Areas & Strategic Blueprint
The upcoming summit is structured as an exclusive executive platform designed to yield actionable commercial frameworks. Key focal areas include:
Launch of the Industrial Energy Cost Reduction & Adoption Programme: Driving factory roof solarisation (Solar PV), Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), captive natural gas-to-power, green hydrogen solutions, and carbon credit monetization.
Smart Technology & Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration: Applying smart systems to monitor and optimise industrial energy utilization.
Energy Efficiency Networks (EEN): Expanding floor-level energy management practices, featured alongside the MPDCL-GIZ NESP Energy Efficiency Award.
Structured Financing & Capital Mobilisation: Facilitating access to affordable debt/equity instruments, offshore venture capital, climate finance, and carbon markets.
Regulatory Adaptation: Navigating state-level electricity decentralization, net-metering policies, and grid tariff structures.
Brand and Marketing Perspective
For brand custodians and industrial managers, this summit underscores a crucial evolution in brand equity and market positioning. Adopting energy-efficient and decarbonised production methods allows Nigerian manufacturing brands to shield consumer prices from energy shocks, maintain profit margins, and fulfill global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards required to trade competitively under AfCFTA.
