#REAStatebyStateRoundtable – Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo Visit REA, Commits to Unlocking Opportunities in Kogi State through the Optimization of Decentralized Renewable Energy:
On the 17th of Dec 2024, the MD/CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA),Abba Aliyu and members of the Agency’s Executive Management received the Kogi State delegation, led by His Excellency, Governor Usman Ododo at the REAHQ in Abuja.
Over the last 8 months, the Agency has sustained strategic engagement with the sub-nationals, through the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), geared towards the development of robust, investor-friendly and impactful energy markets in the States as codified in the 2023 Electricity Act. These engagements between the REA and State Governments have led to the exploration of opportunities and possibilities to catalyze investment in the energy sector while enabling sustainable launchpads for private sector investments in the state energy markets.
While presenting live data on the State’s energy access gap as well as opportunities for DRE, the REA delegation assured His Excellency of the Agency’s commitment to nationwide energy access. He added that programmes such as the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) and the Rural Electrification Fund (REF) can be optimized to alleviate energy poverty and catalyze socioeconomic growth in Kogi State.
These efforts are targeted at powering rural communities, improving agricultural productivity through the use of energy efficient productive use equipment, powering rural healthcare delivery services, schools, and MSMEs. Governor Ododo, while explaining his commitment towards unlocking the potentials of the State, assured the REA, the Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs) as well as development partners of the State’s readiness to ensure an investor-friendly business ecosystem which will enforce a strict law on vandalization of energy access infrastructure.
The Governor also gave his assurances to facilitate stronger collaborations with local communities for quality community buy-in and project sustainability, acceleration of permits and approvals for flexible land infrastructure support, security and data access. The Governor gave his commitment to convene the REA – Kogi State Roundtable under the Agency’s ongoing #REAStatebyStateRoundtable initiative
