Over 85 million Nigerians lack reliable electricity — REA boss

More than 85 million Nigerians, approximately 40% of the country's population, still lack reliable access to grid electricity, disclosed Abba Aliyu, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

“

Over 85 million Nigerians, close to 40 per cent of our population, still lack reliable access to grid electricity. REA exists to close that gap.

Aliyu lamented Nigeria's significant dependence on imported renewable energy equipment, despite the nation's abundant solar resources. He highlighted that nearly every solar installation in Nigeria relies on components manufactured abroad, including panels, batteries, and inverters. "Nigeria supplied the roof, the need and the market, while someone else supplied the technology and equipment," he stated, noting that this reliance deprives the country of jobs, technical capacity, and foreign exchange.

This situation was discussed on Tuesday in Abuja during the signing of a Joint Development Agreement between the REA and Ecotech Development Nigeria Limited. The agreement aims to establish a solar panel and battery assembly and manufacturing facility in Nigeria. Aliyu described the pact as a major milestone in Nigeria's renewable energy drive, marking the first commitment from a Tier-1 Chinese renewable energy company to set up such operations in the country.

“

The panel on the rooftop was engineered abroad. The battery beneath it was assembled abroad. The inverter that ties it together was also manufactured outside the country. Nigeria supplied the roof, the need and the market, while someone else supplied the technology and equipment.

Under the agreement, the REA, through its renewable asset management subsidiary, will facilitate the annual offtake of up to 200 megawatts of solar photovoltaic modules and 200 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage systems manufactured and assembled in Nigeria by Ecotech. Aliyu emphasized that this initiative would help close the gap in grid access and allow Nigeria to finance its own industrial growth with its electrification budget, rather than continuing to finance foreign industrial expansion.

“

Every dollar we spend importing solar modules is a dollar that could have been paid to Nigerian technicians or invested in Nigerian factories. We have been financing someone else’s industrial growth with our own electrification budget.