Rural Electrification Agency boss, Abba Aliyu, also believes that Nigeria can become the renewable hub of Africa.
In this interview, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, believes that Nigerian energy firms have mastered the art of deploying renewable energy infrastructure, building talent, and attracting financing in West Africa. He also believes that Nigeria can become the renewable hub of Africa.
Before now, you’ve outlined an ambitious goal — to provide electricity access to 25 million Nigerians within three years, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas. How much progress has been made so far on that target?
We had already started the implementation of our plans. We have already signed grant agreements with eight companies, and we have about 100 companies now lined up to be signed.
We have close to 70 projects that we have completed. We have also started the process of the interconnected mini-grid — 42 of them — which are very critical to create reliability for peri-urban areas and also connect our mini-grid with the national grid. So, that also has started: 42 of them with seven distribution companies.
And they’re all included among the 25 million Nigerians you’re targeting?
The universities are not among the 25 million. For the universities, it’s a special intervention to enhance and create the reliability of electricity at that level. For the 25 million, all these are mini-grids that will be provided to communities.
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