ABUJA – (Federal Ministry of Power Report) – The Regional Off – Grid Electrification Project (ROGEP) will support Nigeria and 18 other countries in West Africa and the Sahel to accelerate access to electricity through the use of Standalone Solar Photovoltaic systems.
This was made known by the Ag. Director of the Renewable and Rural Power Access Department in the Ministry of Power, Faruk Yusuf (Engr), while speaking in a workshop organized by the Ministry and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Abuja on Monday October 7, 2019.
According to Yusuf, ROGEP which is aimed at providing Nigeria the opportunity to realize its universal electricity access goals is in tandem with the aspirations of the Federal Government as contained in its vision EV 30:30:30 on achieving 30 percent renewable energy contribution to the countryÂ’s energy mix by year 2030.
Yusuf, who was represented at the event by Samuel Ben Ayangeaor (Engr) said that due to the strategic importance which electricity plays in achieving national development and poverty reduction in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Sahel region, the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREE) designed ROGEP with the target to increase access to sustainable electricity services in the ECOWAS region for households, commercial enterprises, public health and education facilities.
He stated that the project is funded by the World Bank with co-financing from Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Directorate – General of the International Corporation (DGIS) of the Government of Netherlands with the aim of providing universal electricity to the region by year 2020.
The Director disclosed that as a party to the Paris Agreement, Nigeria made a commitment to reduce its Green House Gas Emissions conditionally and unconditionally by 20% and 45% respectively. He explained that to achieve this target, a lot is required from both the private and the public sectors, urging the private sector to seize the opportunities provided in the electricity industry to implement projects that would enhance the socio – economic development of the country. He further assured that Government is committed to creating necessary enabling environments.
In his presentation, Segun Adaju, a consultant from GreenMax Capital Advisers said that the Federal Government plans to do grid expansion, thereby increasing the national electrification rate and providing access to electricity to about 20 million Nigerian households by year 2030, and achieving universal access by 2040.
He added that in an attempt to synchronize efforts, an independent Resource Plan (IRP) was developed to drive the implementation of several key policies, including the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy (NREEEP), the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) and NigeriaÂ’s Sustainable Energy for All Action Agenda in the effort to clarify the off – grid components of each plan.
