REA restores electricity to Kano communities after 16 years of darkness

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has commissioned two mini-grid electricity projects in Kano State, restoring power to communities that have endured more than 16 years without electricity.

The projects, located in Ballagaza and Marayar Rogo in Warawa Local Government Area, comprise a 195-kilowatt-peak (kWp) system and a 70kWp system, respectively, and are expected to provide electricity to 2,222 households.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Managing Director of REA, Abba Aliyu, described the projects as a significant step towards achieving the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to provide electricity access to more than 17 million Nigerians.

Aliyu said the projects demonstrated the potential of public-private partnerships in addressing Nigeria’s electricity challenges, particularly in rural communities that have remained underserved for years.

He commended Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, for identifying electricity access as a key priority of his administration and creating an enabling environment for the successful execution of the projects.

According to him, the projects were developed through private investment by Alfuttaim Nigeria Limited, with support from the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme, implemented by REA with assistance from the World Bank.

“The Federal Government did not build these mini-grids and hand them over. Alfuttaim Nigeria Limited invested its own money, built them, and will own and operate them for many years,” he said.

He explained that the government’s role through the DARES programme was to subsidise part of the project costs to ensure that electricity remained affordable for the benefiting communities.

Aliyu disclosed that Nigeria was working towards developing 1,350 mini-grids under the DARES programme, which he said had already provided new or improved electricity access to more than five million Nigerians.

He noted that addressing Nigeria’s electricity deficit required sustained collaboration between the government, private investors and beneficiary communities.

“Our country still has more people without electricity than any other nation in the world. That challenge will not be solved by a single agency or programme; it will be solved community by community, in places like Ballagaza and Marayar Rogo, when private companies are willing to invest and communities take ownership of what is built for them,” he said.

The REA managing director urged communities to protect the infrastructure and ensure its sustainability, stressing the importance of maintaining public confidence in rural electrification initiatives.

The projects are expected to transform economic activities in the benefiting communities, particularly in agriculture and small-scale enterprises.

The Gabazawa community, known for producing groundnuts, millet, sorghum and soybeans, as well as traditional crafts such as blacksmithing, weaving and dyeing, is expected to benefit from improved production capacity.

With access to electricity, farmers and small-scale processors will be able to use electric machines to process groundnuts into oil and kuli-kuli, potentially improving product quality, increasing output and securing better market prices.

The projects will also provide electricity to the primary healthcare centre in the Gabazawa community, which has previously operated without power.

In her remarks, the Co-founder of Alfuttaim Nigeria Limited, Dr Nabilah Sani, expressed satisfaction with the completion of the projects, saying they would improve household living conditions and stimulate agricultural productivity.

She thanked the Federal Government for facilitating the funding arrangements that made the projects possible.

Sani disclosed that the two commissioned mini-grids were part of a broader initiative, with 10 sites currently under development across Kano State.

She urged residents to regard the electricity infrastructure as their own and protect it against vandalism to ensure the continued delivery of reliable electricity.

The commissioning marks another effort by the Federal Government and its partners to expand electricity access to underserved communities, promote rural economic development and improve residents’ quality of life through renewable energy solutions.