REA connects 99,450 households in 20 months

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) says it has connected 99,450 households to sustainable electricity in the last 20 months.

REA is an implementation agency of the Federal Government under the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.

In a publication titled, ‘The Rural Electrification Agency’s Impact’ for the month of January, the agency said the connections have impacted on the lives of 457,470 people.

Enumerating the achievements of the agency within the past 20 months, the publication obtained by our reporter said 5,042 jobs have been created.

It also said the agency under the managing director, Mrs Damilola Ogunbiyi, has sourced $550 million to promote rural electrification.

In support of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and with the goal of increasing energy access, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the Rural Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan (RESIP). He then appointed the REA Board and the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola inaugurated it in May 2017.

The agency’s present programmes consist of deploying solar home systems, solar mini grids, energizing education across tertiary institutions, energising economies for key markets and other capital projects for rural electrification.

Explaining the Energising Economies programme, the publication said it is geared at providing clean and reliable power support to 80,000 shops within 16 economic clusters within one year. This will then empower 340,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The programme if achieved, it will also create 2,500 jobs and that the 16 clusters will serve 18 million Nigerians. A total of 300 clusters is being considered by the agency in the long term.

For the Energising Education which it said is ongoing, 589,444 students will have access to uninterrupted power supply across about 37 tertiary institutions. A total of 80,401 staff of those institutions will benefit from the projects while 860 diesel-fired generators across the various schools will be decommissioned.

The project will also benefit 1,435 doctors and 5,565 other medical professionals who will have access to constant electricity at work.

REA will provide 10,451 street lights on the campuses using sustainable energy sources, while over 700 female students will be trained through on-the-job training pattern for maintenance and other jobs to be created with the projects, the agency noted in the publication.