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Rural Electrification Agency REA

The Federal Government, through the Rural Electrification Agency REA, is rolling out a combined 60.82 megawatts of renewable power via decentralised mini-grid projects spanning six states.

The milestone was reached on Wednesday with the groundbreaking of a 13.92-megawatt-peak interconnected hybrid solar project in Yobe State, which was supported by the World Bank. The Yobe project is equipped with 40 distribution transformers and spread across major commercial and residential areas in Nguru, Potiskum, Gashua and Damaturu.

Before the Yobe groundbreaking, the REA had already commenced 46.9MW of power infrastructure across five other states: a 20MW mini-grid in Egume, Kogi State; an 11.9MWp project in Ogu-Bolo, Rivers State; a 10MW installation in Kofare, Adamawa State; a 3.5MW mini-grid in Ambursa, Kebbi State; and a 1.5MW project in Pankshin, Plateau State.

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Speaking at the Yobe groundbreaking, REA Managing Director Dr Abba Abubakar Aliyu framed the projects as more than an electricity intervention. “We are not merely connecting communities to electricity. We are connecting them to opportunity. We are creating an environment where businesses can grow, young people can innovate, farmers can process more of what they produce, healthcare facilities can provide better services, and local economies can flourish,” he said.

Aliyu also disclosed that beyond the current 60.82MW rollout, 14 additional pipeline projects are underway in Yobe State alone, expected to add another 15.3MWp of combined capacity. The planned projects are projected to provide electricity access to 23,870 new connections across communities including Jawur Katamma, Federal Polytechnic Damaturu and Dibbwol.

Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, who spoke at the ceremony, said the initiative aligned with his administration’s vision for resilient infrastructure to boost local industrial capacity and agricultural productivity.