Nigeria FG to build over 20 Hydropower Dams

The Federal Government yesterday said that about 20 existing medium and large dams were to be developed for hydropower generation.

Disclosing this in Abuja on the occasion of the visit of the president of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) and Chinese delegates, Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Reng Ochekpe, said President Goodluck Jonathan has put together a roadmap for the development of critical infrastructure in water and power sectors.

Ochekpe stated that in 2008, ICOLD launched a world declaration for dams and hydropower for African sustainable development and the document identified huge hydropower potentials and the preparations for international industrialists to develop the sector.

According to her: “One of our completed dam projects awaiting power evacuation is the Gurara dam project, the federal government has taken steps to maintain existing infrastructure especially dams and irrigation projects while a number of new dams and reservoirs are to be constructed. Government is indeed conscious of the fact that globally, there is a relationship between the number of dams and hydropower developed to the socio-economic of any country.’’-Leadership