The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in Nigeria has announced plans to provide energy-efficient electricity to 24,500 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the Productive Use of Equipment (PUE) and appliances.
This initiative is part of the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) and aims to ensure that 1,050,000 people have improved access to energy services.
The REA’s goal is to ensure that rural and underserved communities have easy access to energy-efficient and productive equipment.
The PUE initiative will encourage the use of low-cost appliances in unserved and underserved communities to enhance rural productivity, economic growth, and overall rural development.
The managing director of the REA, Salihijo Ahmad, explained that the project is being supported by the African Development Bank (ADB).
The PUE initiative will contribute to the sustainability of off-grid energy infrastructure across communities in Nigeria.
Ahmad emphasized that the REA’s mandate is to provide electricity access to unserved and underserved households and MSMEs in rural areas.
The agency has been actively collaborating with the private sector to achieve its objectives. Beyond ensuring access to electricity, the REA is focused on promoting the productive use of equipment and appliances to stimulate socio-economic development in off-grid communities.
The NEP, funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, targets unserved and underserved households, MSMEs in rural communities, federal universities, and teaching hospitals throughout Nigeria.
The signing of the grant agreement for the productive use appliances component is considered a milestone in implementing the ADB-funded NEP.
The REA chief expressed appreciation for the cooperation of energy access companies and urged them to align fully with the program’s objectives in order to achieve transformative change.
