FG, REA, ECOWAS move to boost regional electrification

The Federal Government, Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)  are aligning in a bid to boost  electricity access.

This was emphasised during a workshop on: “Unlocking and Scaling the Sustainable Adoption of Productive Use of Energy Technologies Across Nigeria: Harmonising Financing Opportunities and Policy Frameworks,” in Abuja.

The forum was hosted by the REA, in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States and the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA).

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Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, emphasised that the current administration is shifting the focus of electrification from mere infrastructure to tangible economic empowerment.

He declared that rural electrification is no longer about extending wires into communities, but about extending opportunity, creating prosperity and enabling enterprise.

He affirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming the rural economy through energy.

The event drew government agencies, development partners, financiers, manufacturers, farmers’ associations and members of the diplomatic community to chart a coordinated path for powering agricultural productivity nationwide.

The minister noted that success can no longer be measured only by megawatts generated or households connected, stressing that electricity  becomes truly transformational only when it powers productivity, “whether that means a farmer irrigating more land, a rice mill processing more produce, a cold room preserving fish and vegetables, or young entrepreneurs building agro-processing businesses within their communities.”

Tegbe identified the Productive Use of Energy agenda as a convergence point for energy, agriculture, industrialisation, financial inclusion, food security and job creation, and pointed to the scale of value lost between harvest and market through inadequate cold storage, limited processing capacity and the high cost of energy-intensive equipment.

He assured stakeholders that the business case is compelling across the value chain, offering farmers lower operating costs, financial institutions a new class of bankable assets, manufacturers a growing domestic market and government stronger revenue and rural development outcomes, and urged participants to leave the workshop with greater alignment and confidence in Nigeria’s potential to lead Africa’s productive-use-of-energy market.

Managing Director, Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu, cited  the organization’s track record, including the Energizing Agriculture Programme’s pipeline of over 120 bankable sites and the Africa Mini-grids Programme, disclosing that the DARES programme has committed 250 million dollars to standalone solar systems, 100 million dollars to solar-as-a-business and 50 million dollars to Productive Use Equipment.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, aligned the ministry’s priorities with the PUE agenda.

Kyari was represented at the forum.

While a representative of the ECOWAS Commission situated Nigeria’s efforts within the regional initiative and

Senior Advisor and Coordinator for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP), Elhadji Sylla, reaffirmed the Commission’s support for energy-driven agricultural transformation across West Africa.

He expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for its continued collaboration in boosting regional electrification.

Echoing the minister’s sentiments, he noted that electricity access must move beyond mere household use to active economic application.

“Electricity is strategic in reducing poverty, but renewable energy, particularly solar energy, will serve as a key catalyst for accelerating universal access.”

“Through the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project, we aim to establish and leverage the off-grid solar market. We believe that energy must be put to work,” Sylla said.

The workshop marks the first in a planned series of engagements that will progressively address financing design, technology standards and deployment pipelines for productive use equipment.