NEWS

The Nigerian Government, through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), has reaffirmed its commitment to the Nigerian rural electrification initiative, aiming to close the country’s electricity access gap.

The agency highlighted significant achievements and ambitious plans to deliver reliable power to unserved and underserved communities nationwide. Currently, Nigeria has the largest number of people without access to electricity globally, making it a top priority for national development.

Dr Abba Abubakar Aliyu, Managing Director of REA, explained in Kano that the agency focuses on providing electricity to communities without power while improving reliability in partially served areas. He emphasised the $750 million Distributed Access to Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) Project as a core intervention.

Approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the project will supply electricity to 17.5 million Nigerians via 1,350 mini-grids, including 250 interconnected systems. Implementation has begun. Over 900 mini-grids are operational, and more than 50 interlinked systems will add over 200 megawatts to the national grid.

Aliyu highlighted progress in implementing the Electricity Act 2023. The Act decentralised the power sector, creating opportunities for state governments, private investors, and research institutions. Under this framework, REA engaged with 21 states, sharing electrification data, project plans, and partnership opportunities.

For the first time, Nigeria completed a national electrification mapping exercise, identifying over 150,000 communities and assessing their electricity status. The findings revealed that about 15,000 communities still lack electricity or experience unreliable supply.

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