70,000 to benefit as REA launches Africa mini-grid programme
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) said it had launched the Africa Minigrids Programme (AMP) meant to expand energy access across Nigeria with more investments.
According to the spokesman, Ayang Ogbe, the four-year project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria.
The programme in Nigeria has 70,063 direct project beneficiaries, out of which 34,559 are women.
The REA said the programme was active in 21 African countries, and the Nigeria national project implemented by it was the first of such towards energising agriculture.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Mohamed Yahya, the UNDP resident representative in Nigeria said, “Access to reliable, sustainable, affordable energy is a catalyst to socio-economic development and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
The GEF Operational Focal Point at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr Jonah Stanley, emphasized the significance of the programme, which he sees as “central to issues such as security, climate change, food production and strengthening economies while protecting ecosystems.”
The managing director/chief executive officer of the REA, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, an engineer, disclosed that “the Africa Minigrids Programme would serve as another catalyst for improved access to sustainable energy and equitable and inclusive impact on livelihoods by unlocking agricultural value addition opportunities from electrification.”
(Daily Trust)
