Localised energy systems in the Nigerian power network

In most of the African countries, particularly Nigeria, the fossil fuel based centralised generation is outdated, lacks proper maintenance and it is unreliable. Access to the transmission grid is limited, and it is costly to upgrade the existing power grid. The localised energy system is an alternative option to address these important challenges. The thesis analysed the impact of localised energy systems (LES) in the UK power system with respect to benefits, opportunities, and limitations with the aim to transfer the knowledge obtained in the study to the Nigerian power network. The dynamic model of the UK generic distribution network, with different types of LES (residential, commercial and mixtures of these customers), was developed to study the impacts of LES on the steady state voltage, network losses and transformer loading. The results show that the integration of LES improved the steady state voltage by 2.75%, distribution losses are reduced by 15% and the transformer loading is reduced by 22%. Similar studies were carried out on a section of the Nigerian network, the Ekiti State 33kV network, over 24 hours for both rainy and dry seasons, with and without LES. The results show an improvement in network voltage by 2.5% and a reduction in the network losses by 19.26%. For different levels of solar generation penetration, it is found that for 30% PV penetration, the use of storage is required during peak demand in the rainy season (when the solar irradiation is low) to mitigate the generation shortage. Replacing conventional generation by solar power will reduce the overall inertia of the power system. The impact on frequency control of high PV penetration was studied using the Nigerian two-area hydrothermal systems model developed in MATLAB Simulink. The results show a frequency regulation problem at 30% PV penetration. The stored kinetic energy in the existing conventional generators could not absorb electricity output from PV system causing the frequency deviation beyond the safe operation of the system. A flywheel storage system was proposed in this research as a solution to counterbalance the intermittency of the PV generation and to damp out the frequency deviations. The localised energy systems, if implemented in Ekiti State, will provide annual savings of US$454,096 from losses reduction and yield about 46,360MWh electricity annually, which is about 30% of Ekiti State annual electricity consumption. Localised energy systems used renewable energy technologies and therefore would contribute towards carbon emission reduction target

A means to an industrialisation end? Demand side management in Nigeria

Electricity is essential for economic development and industrialisation processes. Balancing demand and supply is a recurrent problem in the Nigerian electricity market. The aim of this work is to assess the technical and economic potential of Demand Side Management (DSM) in Nigeria given different future levels of industrialisation. The paper places industrialisation at the centrefold of the appraisal of DSM potential in Nigeria. It does so by designing industrialisation scenarios and consequently deriving different DSM penetration levels using a cost-optimisation model. Findings show that under the high industrialisation scenario by the year 2050 DSM could bring about 7 billion USD in cumulative savings thanks to deferred investment in new generation and full deployment of standby assets along with interruptible programmes for larger industrial users. The paper concludes by providing policy recommendations regarding financial mechanisms to increase DSM deployment in Nigeria. The focus on DSM serves to shift the policy debate on electricity in Nigeria from a static state versus market narrative on supply to an engagement with the agency and influence on industrial end-users

Commodities and Linkages: Meeting the Policy Challenge

The results of detailed empirical enquiry into the nature and determinants of the breadth and depth of linkages in and out of the commodities sector in eight SSA countries (Angola, Botswana, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa Tanzania, and Zambia) and six sectors (copper, diamonds, gold, oil and gas, mining services and timber) has shown extensive scope for industrial development (MMCP DP 13, 2011). A primary conclusion of this research was that policy in both the private and public realm was a prime factor holding back the development of linkages. Addressing this problem requires the closing of three sets of misalignments between policy and practice – within the corporate sector, within the public sector, and between the public sector and other stakeholders involved in linkage development. In addition, specific policies need to be developed, monitored and implemented in relation to the three contextual drivers of linkages from the commodity sector – skills and capabilities, infrastructure and policies towards ownership

The Diversity of Diversity: Implications of the Form and Process of Localised Urban Systems

This paper summarises research into localised urban systems which accounts for variations in styles of diversity within multi-cultural cities. New work builds on previous studies in London and Turin. The first produced an ideal type model of open:closed urban systems and evidence that the former have better capacity to incorporate incomers. The second revealed the need to adapt the model to account also for the process of diversity. This third phase combines ethnography with computer simulations to reveal emergent properties as well as present styles of urban systems, and to rank the variables driving change. The outcome will be a typology for users dealing with migrant settlement and urban regeneration.Typology of urban systems, Diversity, Relatedness, Process models, Ideal types

South African MNCs’ HRM Systems and Practices at the Subsidiary Level: Insights From Subsidiaries in Nigeria

Despite the extensive literature on multinational companies’ (MNCs) human resource management (HRM) systems and practices from developed countries, there are gaps in the literature concerning emerging countries multinational companies’ (EMNCs) HRM practices and systems at home and host countries. This thesis examines the transfer of HRM practices in Nigerian subsidiaries of MNCs from South Africa (an emerging country). This study empirically examines the similarities and differences of South African MNCs’ HRM systems and practices at both the South African headquarters and the subsidiaries in Nigeria. Purposely, the study attempts to shed light on the nature of the employment practices, the transfer of HRM practices and the factors that influence the transfer process. The study adopted a qualitative approach with data/evidence collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. It focused on group discussions conducted in the subsidiaries of three South African MNCs in Nigeria. The data was gathered primarily from HR managers, directors and officers in the Nigerian subsidiaries of the South African MNCs. The study revealed that the South African MNCs hybridised their recruitment and selection processes and localised compensation and employee relations. However, performance appraisal, talent management and code of conduct practices were mainly transferred to subsidiaries with minimal adaptation to contextual realities. Further research and practical implications are discussed in this thesis

Critical Review of Different Methods for Siting and Sizing Distributed-generators

Due to several benefits attached to distributed generators such as reduction in line losses, improved voltage profile, reliable system etc., the study on how to optimally site and size distributed generators has been on the increase for more than two decades. This has propelled several researchers to explore various scientific and engineering powerful simulation tools, valid and reliable scientific methods like analytical, meta-heuristic and hybrid methods to optimally place and size distributed generator(s) for optimal benefits. This study gives a critical review of different methods used in siting and sizing distributed generators alongside their results, test systems and gaps in literature

Provincialising whiteness: Òyìnbó and the politics of race in Lagos, Nigeria

Much academic work on racialisation processes to date has focused on a geographically restricted range of racial regimes characterised by white supremacy. This study broadens the geographical scope of analyses by looking at race-making practices in Lagos, Nigeria. I explore the geographical specificity of race-making in Lagos through interrogation of the concept of òyìnbó – a Yorùbá word most often translated into English as ‘white person.’ By highlighting the particular meanings attached to òyìnbó, and the political work that racialisation does in this understudied context, I argue for the need to provincialise understandings of whiteness in studies of global race-making processes. The project is based upon eleven months of ethnographic fieldwork with Lagosians of different generations and social demographics at three different research sites: a senior secondary school, the University of Lagos, and at a church. My findings suggest that divergent meanings are attached to òyìnbós in these contexts, which do not universally celebrate whiteness. Rather, the practice of race-making in Lagos predominantly addresses local political concerns, and common attributes associated with òyìnbós are primarily evaluated according to local people’s own moral economy. This results in highly ambivalent attitudes to òyìnbós as individuals and to òyìnbó as trope. I suggest that these attitudes can best be explained by situating constructions of òyìnbós within their wider social context in Lagos. By centring local understandings in this way, I argue that the political practice of race-making in Lagos is not purely a reflection of a singular, global racial hierarchy, but a means of actively engaging with global and local power structures. I propose that seeking to understand the emic nature of divergent global race-making processes in this way has the potential to broaden academic understanding of these and related social phenomena

The Digitalisation of African Agriculture Report 2018-2019

An inclusive, digitally-enabled agricultural transformation could help achieve meaningful livelihood improvements for Africa’s smallholder farmers and pastoralists. It could drive greater engagement in agriculture from women and youth and create employment opportunities along the value chain. At CTA we staked a claim on this power of digitalisation to more systematically transform agriculture early on. Digitalisation, focusing on not individual ICTs but the application of these technologies to entire value chains, is a theme that cuts across all of our work. In youth entrepreneurship, we are fostering a new breed of young ICT ‘agripreneurs’. In climate-smart agriculture multiple projects provide information that can help towards building resilience for smallholder farmers. And in women empowerment we are supporting digital platforms to drive greater inclusion for women entrepreneurs in agricultural value chains