…REA restores electricity to Kano community after 16 years of darkness
The Federal Ministry of Power through Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), in partnership with the Kano State Government, has commissioned four transmission substations, adding 544MW of wheeling capacity to Kano State and the grid.
These transmission capacities are at Walalambe, Kumbotso, Dakata and Dan-Agundi. Walalambe contributes a new 80 MW capacity substation with two 40 MVA transformers; Kumbotso receives 300 MVA at 330kV level and 100 MVA transformers; Dakata and Dan-Agundi each gain an additional 100 MVA transformer, respectively at 132kV level.
The Commissioning was done by Joseph Tegbe, Minister of Power, supported by
Mahmuda Mamman, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry; Sule Abdulaziz, Managing Director of the TCN; Kano State Commissioner for Energy and other dignitaries.
The projects strengthen bulk electricity supply to Kano’s industrial, commercial and residential areas, relieve overloaded substations and create room to meet previously suppressed demand.
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At Walalambe, six outgoing feeders support supply to Tokarawa Industrial Area, the Eastern Bypass, Maiduguri Road, Hadejia Road and adjoining communities. Lee Group, a major industrial enterprise, is now reconnected to the grid after more than 30years of operating off-grid, while the fire-damaged Dan-Agundi substation has regained substantial capacity to serve Kano ancient town, the Emir’s Palace and surrounding communities.
Together, these investments provide stronger infrastructure for manufacturing, small businesses, employment and improved household welfare.
The projects are a testament to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his determination to reset the power sector as a foundation for national development and turning infrastructure investment into economic opportunity across the entire country.
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has commissioned two mini-grid projects in two communities in Kano State after over sixteen years of darkness as part of its goal of electrifying 17 million Nigerian households, coupled with a target of construction and installation of 1,350 mini-grids across the Country.
The agency commissioned two projects comprising a 195kWp system in Ballagaza and a 70kWp system in Marayar Rogo, located in Warawa, which will serve 2,222 households ending over sixteen years of darkness.
Speaking at the ceremony in Kano, Abba Aliyu, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), described the project as another step toward achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda’s goal of electrifying over 17 million Nigerians.
The REA MD described the project as a strong example of what public-private partnerships can achieve.
He also thanked the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf for identifying electricity as a key deliverable of his administration and for providing a conducive environment for the execution of the project.
“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. What the government did, through the DARES programme delivered by the REA with support from the World Bank, was to subsidize part of the cost to ensure the electricity is affordable for you.
“Under DARES, Nigeria is working toward 1,350 mini-grids, and the programme has already brought new or improved electricity to more than five million Nigerians. 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. The government’s job is to keep its word to both,” he said.
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