By Fatima Saka
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has empowered over 12,000 shops across Nigeria with clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity supply under the Energising Economies Initiative (EEI) of the agency.
The Director of Promotions, REA, Ayang Ogbe, who amplified this information, said the Agency held a roundtable meeting with EEI private power developers last week to identify implementation gaps, improve service delivery and strengthen the initiative to achieve the desired goal of providing constant and reliable electricity in economic clusters across the federation.
Speaking, Ogbe said that, over 300 clusters have been identified for electrification across the country in different phases.
He also said the REA is mandated to implement the initiative through Technical Assistance to private project developers; this includes identification and audit of economic clusters, facilitation of engagement with key stakeholders and technical support for project development and operation.
The EEI is a federal government’s initiative being implemented by the REA. The focus of the EEI is to electrify economic clusters in Nigeria – which include markets, shopping plazas/complexes and industrial clusters in line with the FGN’s goal of increasing electricity access.
At launch, the Pilot Phase of the EEI has commissioned the Sura Shopping Complex Independent Power Project in Lagos State powering 1,047 shops, as well as the Ariaria International Market (Independent Power Project), Aba, Abia state, powering over 4,000 shops. Also, launched were over 6,000 energized shops at Sabon Gari market, Kano State with more connections in the pipeline.