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Nigeria’s rural electrification witnessed some gains in the past year with several project completion and on-going implementation of projects.
- The sector also saw the commencement of Phase 2 pf the EEP and the increased scope for the SHS component of the NEP.
- The REA also entered several collaborations to increase data access and build investor confidence in the country;’s off-grid electrification space.
Despite the challenges of the year 2020, rural electrification in Nigeria did not falter. The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) implemented several projects across the country; including 218 grid extension projects, 10 solar mini-grid projects, three injection substations projects and 197 solar street lights. Some of these projects have been completed, while others are yet to begin development.
January 2020 saw the resumption of duties for Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad as the REA Managing Director. As part of his strategy for better delivering the Agency’s Mandate, he encouraged the agency’s closeness to the primary constituents and the availability. He strengthened the capacity and efficiency of all six REA Zonal Offices for better service delivery.
The MD strengthened relationship with all stakeholders to ensure a swift implementation of the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). The agency adopted transparency and openness in its bidding processes of all programmes.
The Agency also commenced the second phase of EEP. Beneficiaries include the University of Abuja, University of Maiduguri, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Nigeria Defence Academy, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital and the Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State.
2020 saw the growth in scope of the Solar Home System component of the programme. Under the Nigeria Electrification Programme (NEP), the SHS Component aims to provide electricity to underserved Nigerian households and small businesses (MSMEs). Seven new companies signed on to the Output-Based Fund (OBF), bringing the total number of developers to 19.
The Agency also organised activities aimed at increasing developers’ capacity. Together with the Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP), the agency organised a workshop to sensitise bidders interested in bidding under the Rural Electrification Fund (REF).
Last year, REA also emphasised the role data and information play in scaling off-grid deployment across the country. The agency worked with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GiZ) to leverage Information and Data via a web-based energy database that provides access to quality off-grid data for energy infrastructure deployment. The agency signed an MOU on a Green Energy Investment Platform; the One-Stop Investment Platform (OSIP) for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Investments in Nigeria. The OSIP platform will provide potential investors with quality information on Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) in Nigeria.
2020 was a notable year for rural electricity development as quite a lot happened in the space despite the year’s challenges. The sector remains hopeful that much more will be done this year.