Increasing Commercial Viability and Promoting Commercial Investment through the African Mini-Grids Programme (AMP)
On July 26th, 2023 the REA, through the AMP convened a Tender Capacity Building Workshop as part of the Agency's sustained implementation of the African Minigrids Programme (AMP)
With support from the @UNDP and @theGEF, the AMP is designed as an enabler project to implement the Agency’s Energizing Agriculture Programme (EAP) which aims to address the gaps in one of REA’s strategic priorities of focusing on the unserved and underserved to increase economic opportunities through agriculture and productive sectors in rural communities across the country.
The workshop further enhanced the knowledge and capacity of the participants on the tender process and in carrying out transparent bidding processes centred on innovative business models, including cost-reduction levers and gender-mainstreaming.
It equally provided an opportunity for staff members of the Agency and the key MDAs to develop an understanding of the innovation and peculiarities of a PPP tender process for projects that couple minigrids and agriculture productive uses.
In line with its objectives, the programme will support commercially-oriented business models that are underpinned by cost reduction levers to increase the affordability to renewable electricity, including reducing financing and hardware costs through a de-risking approach.
These will be achieved through three outcomes:
- Operationalizing innovative business models to strengthen private sector participation in low-carbon mini-grid development.
- Putting in place an innovative financing mechanism to incentivize private sector financing.
- Deepening digitally supported knowledge management through stakeholder networking and capturing lessons learnt for scaling-up of project results within Nigeria and the international community.