On Thursday, the federal government announced intentions to create 9,000 megawatts of power from renewable sources. It announced this during the Rural Electrification Agency’s management and board retreat in Abuja, highlighting that renewable energy from sources including as solar, wind, and hydro, among others, was the best approach to quickly bridge the country’s electricity gap.
“This why we plan to continue to optimise it while drawing in quality investments and private sector participation in the space,” the Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, stated in his remarks at the retreat.
He added, “This administration’s efforts to improve energy access through on- and off-grid electrification solutions are commendable.
“We must not lose sight of Vision 30:30:30, aimed at raising the generation capacity to 30,000MW by 2030, of which 30 per cent (9,000MW) will be from renewable sources.”
According to Jedy-Agba, the REA is vital to this ambition because of the critical roles it must continue to play in the worldwide discourse about energy transition and off-grid electrification.
He expressed trust in the REA management and board, but added that, beyond the quality sharing of knowledge and the optimization of competence, the agency would benefit from a healthy and constructive relationship.
“I commend you for organising this retreat to help strengthen the agency and I am confident that by the end of this exercise, the REA will be reinvigorated and repositioned for a more significant impact beyond its current scorecard,” the minister stated.
The REA’s Managing Director, Ahmad Salihijo, stated that the retreat’s goal was institutional building and sustainable growth, during which the management transmitted its intentions for the agency and discussed with personnel the obstacles experienced in project implementation.
He charged business personnel with building on the agency’s accomplishments and encouraging them to be imaginative in carrying out their duties.
