The Federal Government says it plans to electrify rural communities with N2.3 trillion under the Economic Sustainability Plan being coordinated by the Office of the Vice President.
Goddy Jedy-Agba, the Minister of State Power, said this in Abuja on Tuesday, while inaugurating the First 12 Kilo Watts Peak Volus Solar for Health Mini-Grid with 58 KWH Battery Bank at Karu Primary Health Centre, initiated by Volus Energy Limited.
The event was also used to unveil the Sustainable Energy Africa Magazine.
Jedy-Agba said the project would provide Solar Home Systems to five million homes across un-served rural communities in Nigeria.
According to him, government is promoting a holistic development agenda and will continue to provide power for under-served communities in Nigeria.
The minister said the provision of electricity to the rural communities would encourage people who live outside the towns and cities to engage in small businesses and preserve farm produce by processing them.
He said: “This is because if you grow these communities, then businesses will spring up, the health sector will perform better, and you know what the result is: improved living conditions.
“It is in this light that the Office of the Minister of State for Power at the Ministry of Power supported Volsus Energy Limited, a solar and renewable energy start-up firm toward flagging off this project.
“At this period when Nigeria is battling to flatten the COVID-19 transmission curve and to completely eradicate it, the Federal Government is supporting critical initiatives toward these goals.
“Reliable power supply is essential across health facilities to increase their work pace.”
The Minister said Primary Health Centres were critical facilities in rural communities as they were the first sign of government’s effort in providing sustainable health to its people.
He said over the years, adequate power supply to the centres had been one of the challenges the facilities have faced across the states.
“I was informed that at a time, this Karu primary health centre had to suspend night shift because of the epileptic power supply and the challenges that come with that.
“I believe that this is now a thing of the past with the commissioning of this first VSFH 12 kilowatt power solar mini-grid with 58 kilowatt hour battery bank.”
Jedy-Agba said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was also promoting the mini grid regulation made by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission through the Rural Electrification Agency.
He said several mini-grid projects had been commissioned and more were underway under the mini grade regulation.
He said: “Through mini-grids projects, REA aims to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity to 300,000 homes and 30,000 local businesses.
“REA is supporting private developers through performance based grants with support from development partners including the World Bank and the African Development Bank.
“This is to provide mini-grids and solar home systems across communities toward achieving the access to energy Goal 7 of the Sustainable Energy Goal.
Earlier, Tomiwa Bayo-Ojo, Chief Executive Officer, Volsus Energy, said the facility was conceived towards improving Nigeria’s health system, while deepening the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bayo-Ojo said Volsus had continually observed the focal drive of this administration, especially in promoting rural and community-based electrification as a means of boosting access to electricity in underserved and unserved places in Nigeria.