Home NEWS Sokoto Launches Rural Community 80Kw Solar Mini-Grid Electricity Project

Sokoto Launches Rural Community 80Kw Solar Mini-Grid Electricity Project

solarSokoto State government has launched the 80kw solar mini grid electricity project that will provide uninterrupted power supply to Kurdula community of Gudu LGA of Sokoto State.
The project is co-funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and the German international development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). It has the supported of the Nigerian Energy Support Program (NESP).
More than 500 households, made up of 4000 inhabitants, are expected to enjoy enhanced access to electricity supply from the project.
Speaking at the occasion, the state Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said that the event marked the beginning of a great collaborative effort towards ensuring sustainable growth through renewable energy sector development.
“It has now become absolutely necessary to take advantage of the ongoing renewable energy effort to ensure self-sufficiency in energy for economic development.
“Mini grid powered by renewable sources is the best option for us to expand electricity access in the rural areas where the national grid is not available.”
Governor Tambuwal vowed that his administration will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to expand areas of cooperation for the benefit of the citizenry, even as he advised community leaders and residents to ensure adequate security for equipment and personnel handling the project.
According to the Governor, the project is a key component of his administration’s rural development initiative.
Speaking at the occasion, both the EU and German Ambassadors to Nigeria expressed optimism that the introduction of solar mini grid would expand access to electricity not just in Kurdula, but in other areas of the country.
Karlsen especially noted that over 1.5 billion people globally lacked access to electricity, and that many Nigerians do not have access to cheap, affordable and steady electricity.
this was even as the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Sulaiman Hassan Zarma, expressed the readiness of the federal government to work with partners on energy solutions.
He said that the Kurdula mini grid electricity project is one of the six currently supported by NESP in six states of the federation.
Present at the occasion were, among others, the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ketil Karlsen, German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dietmar Kreusel and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.[myad]