The Rural Electrification Agency, REA, has advanced its goal of expanding electricity access across the country with the commissioning of two mini-grid projects in Kano State, ending more than 16 years of darkness in the beneficiary communities.
The agency commissioned two projects: a 195kWp system in Ballagaza and a 70kWp system in Marayar Rogo, both located in Warawa, which will serve 2,222 households.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, Abba Aliyu, described the projects as another step towards achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda's goal of providing electricity access to more than 17 million Nigerians.
The REA managing director described the projects as a strong example of what public-private partnerships can achieve.
He also thanked Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for identifying electricity as a key deliverable of his administration and providing a conducive environment for the execution of the projects.
"The Federal Government did not build these mini-grids and hand them over. Alfuttaim Nigeria Limited invested its own money, built them, and will own and operate them for many years. What the government did, through the DARES programme delivered by the REA with support from the World Bank, was to subsidise part of the cost to ensure the electricity is affordable for you.
"Under DARES, Nigeria is working towards 1,350 mini-grids, and the programme has already brought new or improved electricity to more than five million Nigerians. Our country still has more people without electricity than any other nation in the world. That challenge will not be solved by a single agency or programme; it will be solved community by community, in places like Ballagaza and Marayar Rogo, when private companies are willing to invest and communities take ownership of what is built for them. The government's job is to keep its word to both," he said.
The Gabazawa community, known for producing groundnuts, millet, sorghum and soybeans, as well as its blacksmiths, weavers and dyers, is expected to experience improved production through access to electricity.
Groundnuts, for instance, can be processed into oil and kuli-kuli using electric machines, enabling residents to add value to their produce and sell at better prices.
The mini-grid project will also provide electricity to the primary healthcare centre in the Gabazawa community, which previously operated without power.
In her remarks at the event, the co-founder of Alfuttaim, Dr Nabilah Sani, expressed delight at the completion of the projects, noting that they would not only power homes but also boost agricultural productivity.
She thanked the Federal Government for facilitating the funding that made the projects possible, adding that the two sites were among 10 currently under development in Kano State.
She further urged community residents to protect the infrastructure as their own and shun vandalism.
REA powers Kano community with mini-grids after 16 years of darkness