By Mathew Ibiyemi
Electricity. It is one conversation that instantly commands the attention of a Nigerian. No doubt, it is a very critical utility.
Yet, while our newsfeeds are constantly flooded with what has not been done, we often ignore the quiet off-grid revolution happening right under our noses.
This isn’t a facade, we are talking about real projects, real people, and real, tangible impact.
Through a formidable combination of policy reforms, public-private partnerships and an aggressive off-grid deployment strategy, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is rewriting the country’s energy story. The driving force behind this revolution is anchored at the very top echelon of government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe and REA Managing Director, Abba Aliyu.
In his recent Democracy Day broadcast, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared, “Electricity is a democratic dividend we owe every Nigerian.”
Truly, to transform a nation, you must first power its people.
While structural reforms heal the macro-economy, the REA backed by funding partners such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) is winning the war on the ground, ensuring that no Nigerian is left behind in reaping democratic dividends in the power sector.
Among the profound impacts of the REA is the financial and operational lifeline to critical public institutions. By deploying solar hybrid mini-grids, the REA is permanently driving down the cost of governance and improving public service delivery.
Under the Energizing Education Programme (EEP), the agency is deploying robust clean energy infrastructure across federal universities and teaching hospitals. Phase II of the programme has successfully deployed a combined 32MW of solar hybrid capacity across seven major institutions. This includes 3MW installations at both the Michael Okpara Federal University of Agriculture in Umudike (Abia State) and the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta (Ogun State), a 1.5MW facility at the Federal University Gashua (Yobe State), a 2.5MW network at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, and a 3MW plant at the University of Abuja. It also features massive infrastructure additions for regional healthcare and academic hubs including a 7MW system at the University of Calabar and its Teaching Hospital in Cross River State, alongside a massive 12MW installation at the University of Maiduguri and its Teaching Hospital in Borno State.
Building directly upon this momentum, Phase III of the EEP adds another 36.5MW of clean capacity across eight additional university campuses. This ongoing expansion injects 5MW of solar hybrid capacity into the Modibbo Adama University of Technology in Yola (Adamawa State), 1.9MW into the Federal University of Dutsin-Ma (Katsina State), 1.6 W into the Federal University of Lafia (Nasarawa State), and 1.7MW into the Federal University of Lokoja (Kogi State).
Southern Nigeria also benefits from a 8.2MW project at the Federal University of Technology Owerri (Imo State), a comprehensive 10.7MW installation powering the University of Port Harcourt and its University Teaching Hospital (Rivers State), a 2.9MW facility at the Federal University of Uyo (Akwa Ibom State), and a 4.5MW solar hybrid grid at the Federal University of Technology Akure (Ondo State).
Beyond bridging an electricity supply gap in this institutions, the REA is unlocking economic sovereignty extending far beyond campus walls.
Through a collaborative initiative with the United Nations under the Africa Mini-grid Programme (AMP), the agency has established specialized mini-grids seamlessly integrated within agricultural cluster networks. Unlike traditional grids meant solely for household lighting, these installations are custom-built to power post-harvest processing, milling, and advanced cold-storage infrastructure. By providing reliable, localized energy directly to the farm gate, the REA is preventing massive food spoilage, shielding farmers from fluctuating fuel prices, and directly anchoring local agricultural supply chains.
This initiative also encompasses a 1.3MW pipeline of mini-grid sites built to empower 290 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and serve 49,042 direct and indirect beneficiaries. The extensive pilot rollout spans diverse communities across the nation. For instance, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a 200kW system in Damakusa, Kwali, powers grain processing and cold storage for over three thousand residents. Similar grain and cold storage processing networks have been deployed in northern hubs, including a 50kW facility in Namu, Plateau State; a 30kW installation in Magya/Dzwajiwo, Kwara State; a 75kW system in Edo Baba, Niger State; and 50kW grids in Kafin lemo, Bauchi State; Jerkum, Gombe State; Kukuwa, Yobe State; Yalaki Ganye, Adamawa State; and Uban Dawaki, Sokoto State.
The program has also delivered a 75kW system to Hawan Mai Mashi Village in Kaduna State and a 40kW cold storage network to Unguwan Ajuji in Kano State.
In the southern and eastern regions, the focus shifts seamlessly toward non-grain processing and cold storage value chains. This includes 50kW mini-grids in Idemili, Anambra State; Mbaise, Imo State; Iyionu, Enugu State; Iruekpen, Edo State; Ibogo, Cross River State; and Butubutu, Oyo State.
Furthermore, an 80kW system anchors operations in Iziogo Inezza Inyimagu, Ebonyi State, while smaller localized systems serve Mbiabet Ikot Esieyere in Akwa Ibom State at 40 kW, Adejori in Ondo State at 30kW, Ayetoro in Lagos State at 50kW, and Ipawo in Ekiti State at 60kW.
Supplementing these efforts is the Korean Energy Project, a grant initiative by the Korean Government designed to deploy four mini-grids in four locations within the FCT. This project has so far delivered a total renewable energy capacity of 1.6MWp and a 3MWh system across four main communities. It also features a large 900kWp PV facility with an 1,800kWh energy storage system (ESS) for four thousand households in the Rubochi/Tika Community at Kuje Area Council, alongside a targeted 100 kWp system with a 200kWh ESS in the Ikwa 1, Ikwa 2, and Goyan Communities of Gwagwalada.
The sheer scale of the REA’s current portfolio reveals an agency moving at an unprecedented, historic pace, with over 1,000 mini-grids under active development across Nigeria. In North-central Nigeria and other critical territories, the REA recently commissioned major solar hybrid mini-grid projects under the World Bank-supported Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) initiative which have significantly scaled local capacity.
In Kogi State alone, the agency collaborated with the PriVida Team to inject substantial clean capacity, the largest in the region. This effort is highlighted by a massive 704kW system in Offa serving 3,193 customers and a 442kW installation in Emewe Efopa powering 2,006 customers. The regional deployment also includes highly targeted systems in Oji Ofa at 439kW, Ojamapunu at 140kW, Okura Ofate at 134kW, Onyakoji at 125kW, Abocho Ojogba at 121kW, Icheu at 99kW, Ojo Agefu at 69kW, and Ogene Ago at 61kW.
Concurrently, the DARES program expanded into Nassarawa State in partnership with Havenhill, setting up 100kW stations in Kampani, Ittah, Arugbadu Gida, Adamu Agyo, and Odeni Magaji, alongside a larger 200kW grid in Amaku to support 1,732 customers. StarTimes further added to the Nassarawa infrastructure with a 94.40kW system in Udege Kasa, while simultaneously extending its reach into Taraba State by deploying a 237 kW system in Dakka and a 218kW network in Wuro Jam to collectively capture more than four thousand remote connections.
The REA is also bridging the gap between urban peripheries and distribution companies (DisCos). The agency currently has an expansive footprint consisting of 48 completed or active interconnected mini-grids designed to inject a grand total of 213.436MWp of clean capacity directly into existing networks, establishing 252,505 structural connections.
A breakdown of the projects reveal massive integrations across major regional DisCos. Chief of this is the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) leading the portfolio volume with eight active sites generating 57.702MWp across 47,885 connections, featuring major assets like an 8.9MWp system in Ankpa-1 and twin 10.0MWp installations in Anyigba.
The Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) follows with ten distinct sites with 38.814MWp serving over sixty thousand connections, anchored by a massive 19.2MWp grid in Kofare, Adamawa. The Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) also accounts for five sites at 33.204MWp, driven by large deployments such as a 9.2MWp system in Iju, Ondo, and a 7.9MWp facility in Orekope, Delta.
Other operations include the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) network with eight sites combining for 19.395MWp to power key commerce points like the Singer Market and the civic center ultra-modern market. The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) commands five sites in Oyo State totaling 17.697MWp, while the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) powers five sites across Akwa Ibom and Rivers State for 15.812MWp.
Inaddition, the Lagos-based Ikeja Electric (IE) network injects 15.312MWp across two major sites in Alagbado and Igando, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) coordinates three sites for 12.0MWp including the Oko 1 zone, and the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) covers two sites at 3.5MWp in Pankshin and Darazo. An upcoming 504kW installation across 11 mini-grids in Epe, Lagos State is also set to be officially commissioned by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.
Similarly, in partnership with the European Union under the Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (IMAS), the agency has delivered significant off-grid capacity additions across several states. This includes a 493.75 kW system in Jengre, Plateau State (Bassa LGA) developed by ACOB, serving 2,900 connections; a 856.25kW project in Oke-Oye, Kwara State (Ilorin East LGA) with 2,277 connections; and a substantial 1,243.75kW installation in Lambata, Niger State (Gurara LGA), both spearheaded by NAYO and capturing 4,078 total connections.
Worth celebrating also is how Nigeria’s domestic success is serving as the vanguard for Mission 300, an ambitious joint partnership between the World Bank Group and the AfDB Group aiming to connect 300 million Africans by 2030. To date, over 4.5 million Nigerians have been successfully connected under this framework. Backed by $15 billion in core multilateral funding and over $100 million from philanthropic giants like The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Mission 300 has enabled Nigeria to double its annual electricity access growth rate target from 4% to 9%.
Beyond the metrics of watts and billions of dollars in funding, the true impact of the REA’s mission is found in the lived experiences of everyday Nigerians.
In Amarawa, Sokoto State, the commissioning of a 50kWp Solar Mini-Grid is transforming the community. Built to serve 220 households and 23 MSMEs, the project is unlocking the potential of women-owned enterprises, allowing tailors to work late into the evening, and eliminating the need for expensive, toxic small generators.
Further fractured by historical challenges, the North-west is seeing energy used as an instrument of peace. In Jibia, Katsina State, the REA recently partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Katsina State Government to commission 152 housing units, climate pace hubs and a 50kWp solar mini-grid as an integrated response to climate stress and displacement.
Perhaps the most exciting evolution of Nigeria’s energy story is that the country is no longer just a consumer of imported green technology, it is becoming a manufacturer. With an impressive 3.7gigawatts (GW) of capacity currently sitting in its development pipeline, Nigeria is rapidly positioning itself as West Africa’s primary renewable energy manufacturing hub. Locally manufactured solar panels are now actively rolling off industrial assembly lines in corridors like Lagos. These high-grade components are no longer just lighting up Nigerian villages, they are being actively exported to regional neighbors, including Accra, Ghana.
By integrating localized asset deployment with macro-industrial vision, aligning capital with transparent outcomes, the REA under the leadership of Dr. Abba Aliyu is proving that rural communities are never too remote, too small, or too difficult to serve. The agency is not just providing electricity, it is unlocking the trapped potential of millions, turning the promise of electricity supply into a tangible dividend of democracy.
Mathew is a media aide to the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA)
