FG commissions 581kWp solar mini-grid in Kwara
…project serves about 13,000 residents, supports welding, milling, cold-room, other businesses
The Federal Government has commissioned a 581kWp interconnected solar mini-grid in Oke-Oyi, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, with the project linked to the emergence of new businesses in the community.
The mini-grid, developed by Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited under the Rural Electrification Fund-Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme, serves an estimated 13,000 residents and has provided electricity to residential and productive users.
According to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the intervention has supported the emergence of 12 welding businesses, two pure water companies, four grain mills, four aluminium artisan businesses, an ice-block production business and a cold-room/ice-fish depot in Oke-Oyi.
Three electricity vendors are currently operating in the community, while three additional vendors, including a female entrepreneur, are expected to be registered.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, who commissioned the project on Thursday, said the intervention was designed not only to provide electricity but also to increase the productive capacity of the community.
“The purpose of electrification is ultimately to improve lives and create opportunities. What we are commissioning today in Oke-Oyi is an investment in the productive capacity of the community,” Tegbe said.
He said reliable electricity could help welders, grain millers and other businesses expand their operations while creating opportunities for new enterprises.
The minister also stressed the need for proper maintenance of completed electricity projects to ensure communities continue to benefit from the investments.
The project has an installed capacity of 581kWp and comprises 1,336 solar panels and 84 batteries, with about 10 kilometres of distribution cables and transformers supporting the network.
The project was supported by the German Cooperation and the European Union through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abubakar Aliyu, said the economic activities emerging in Oke-Oyi demonstrated the value of reliable electricity to rural communities.
“The real measure of an electrification project is not only the infrastructure we commission, but the opportunities that reliable electricity creates for the people who use it,” Aliyu said.
He said sustaining the investment would remain a priority and urged communities, developers and other stakeholders to protect the infrastructure.
The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, represented by the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, welcomed the project, saying reliable electricity was important for enterprise, employment and community development.
“For Kwara State, every intervention that expands reliable electricity access to our communities is an important step towards creating a more conducive environment for enterprise, employment and improved livelihoods,” AbdulRazaq said.
The Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Karin Jansen, said the project demonstrated the role of partnerships in delivering sustainable energy solutions to underserved communities.
Oke-Oyi community leader Oseni Elemoso thanked the Federal Government, REA and development partners for the intervention, saying residents were already seeing new businesses emerge as a result of improved electricity access.
The construction of the mini-grid also provided temporary employment for residents engaged as painters, welders, bricklayers, iron benders, tilers, plumbers, borehole diggers and excavation labourers.
The project is part of the Federal Government’s efforts through REA to expand electricity access to unserved and underserved communities and promote renewable energy solutions.
