From David Onuoja, Abuja
In a move to uplift the welfare of rural residents through improved power supply, Kogi State Government has entered into partnership with the World Bank to electrify no fewer than 11 comunities.
The project is to be funded under the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (Nigeria-DARES), which is a $750 million World Bank-funded project that targets providing electricity for 17.5 million Nigerians through clean energy.
The beneficiaries include ; Abacho, Ojogba, Emewe Efopa, Offa, Ogene and Oji Ofa communities amongst others with plant capacities tailored to local needs from 61kW to 704kW per community.
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During the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Rural Electrification Agency in Abuja ,it was agreed that the renewable energy companies will develop solar mini grids across 11 communities in the state.
According to the agreement, a total of 2.3MW of clean power as well as over 11,027 new connections would be provided.
With this agreement, Kogi State has become the 1st state in Nigeria to benefit from the $750m World Bank funded DARES program projected to impact positively the lives of over 17.5 million Nigerians.
It was also a good day for 8 other renewable energy companies now called Renewable Energy Service companies, RESCOs, as they signed agreements with REA to roll out Tier 1 and Tier 2 plug and play clean energy solutions to households and MSMES to increase energy access in rural Nigeria.
The companies involved in the projects are: Baobab Plus, Salpha Energy, A Solar System Nigeria Limited, NTA-StarTimes, A4T Solar, Sun King Greenlight Planet, Bboxx and dlight Nigeria.
Speaking during the MoU ceremony at REA Corporate Headquarters, Abuja, the MD, Abba Aliyu said, “Today’s signing is not just a contract, it is a commitment to the communities long underserved by conventional infrastructure. Through DARES, we are enabling private sector leadership in bringing life changing energy solutions to the heart of Nigeria”.
In his remarks, the Head, Nigerian Electrification Fund, REA-NEP, Olufemi Akinyelure, said, “Every connection made under DARES is more than a number – it is a doorway to education, healthcare, commerce and inclusion. These connections represent lives transformation, future energized and a Nigeria that leaves no one behind”.
