FG Kicks Off Five-year Rural Electrification Project Across Nigeria

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has kicked off a five-year rural electrification project across the country.

Naija News reports that the funding of the project tagged ‘Derisking Sustainable Off-grid Lighting Solution in Nigeria’, is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The REA Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Salihijo Ahmed, made this known at the official launch of the project on Thursday in Abuja.

Ahmed said that beneficiaries of the $2.9 million project are estimated at 96,380 persons out of which 47,540 are expected to be women.

In his welcome address, Ahmed disclosed that the project was financed by GEF with $2.6 million and supported by UNDP with $300,000.

Others at the launch of the project include the Executive Director of Rural Electiricirt Fund (REF), Dr Sanusi Ohiare; representative of the UNDP, Mohamad Yahya, as well as the Project Manager, Dr Bala Tyoden.

Ahmad expressed the need for effective collaborations in achieving the rural electrification project and commended the financial support from GEF and UNDP.

He reiterated the imperative of rural electrification for national development and beckoned on the private sector for investment collaborations in renewable energy in the country.

In his remarks, Ohiare explained the objectives of the programme as well as its immense positive impacts on the socio-economic development of rural dwellers, and tasked the technical working groups to ensure the project succeeds.

Also speaking, the representative of UNDP was optimistic the project would succeed considering the commitment of the partners and the zeal to achieve the desired result.

According to the Project manager, the project was designed to develop a private sector-led technology value-chain to make off-grid renewable energy technologies such as solar lanterns and solar home systems available to rural households that might not be electrified until after 2025.

Tyoden said the project would directly support the implementation of the Rural Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan (2016) as well as the energy access targets.