FMARD SENDS LETTER TO REA, COMMENDS AGENCY FOR POWERING AGRICULTURAL CLUSTERS USING RENEWABLE ENERGY
On the 12th of January 2023, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) received an official letter of commendation from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD). In the letter, the Ministry, through the Permanent Secretary commended the REA’s ongoing nationwide electrification projects in agricultural clusters, irrigation farms as well as FADAMA farm groups across 27 states and the FCT.
The intervention is currently being implemented through the REA’s programmatic framework, activated in 2022, which is uniquely targeted at powering agriculture through the deployment of solar-powered irrigation pumps, solar home systems, and streetlights.
In the letter to the REA, signed by Dr. Kush Peter Kukwi, Director of the Project Coordinating Unit, the Ministry commended the transformative impact of the intervention while confirming the deployment of 1, 392 solar-powered irrigation pumps and 260 solar-powered streetlights by the Agency. The Ministry explained that these interventions, beyond serving as a testament to the readiness of the REA to deepen collaborative partnerships with other MDAs, equally “provide a huge opportunity to cushion the impact of the recent floods and improving the nation’s food security”.
The REA had earlier signed a Non-Binding Memorandum of Understanding with the National FADAMA Coordination Office (NFCO) as part of the Agency’s deliberate effort targeted at beneficiaries within the agriculture ecosystem. The Ministry expressed delight and its commitment to “leverage the scalable interventions, especially during the dry season farming activities”.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Ernest A. Umakhihe, while calling for more productive partnerships and opportunities, assured the Agency of continuous working relationship and collaboration with the NFCO and the State FADAMA Coordination Offices
The REA’s Programmatic Framework is a people-centered, data-driven approach to electrification nationwide and is targeted at mass electrification for poverty alleviation and socioeconomic growth, by providing integrated solar mini-grids, water pumping systems for irrigation and the provision of solar home systems in underprivileged communities
On implementation, the REA is working closely with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDS) to improve energy access amongst the Internally Displaced Persons and camps in Nigeria with the deployment of solar home systems and solar streetlights.
Through this Framework, the REA has deployed a total of 6 additional solar hybrid mini-grids, one in each geo-political zone, with total capacity of 600kWp. About 1, 240 solar powered streetlights and over 2, 000 solar home systems and 1, 392 solar powered-irrigation pumps have also been installed and in use.