The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has commenced the development of 37 solar mini-grids in Zamfara State, targeting 125,106 household connections across seven local government areas.
The projects, comprising two interconnected and 35 isolated mini-grids, will deliver approximately 18.8 megawatts-peak of solar generation capacity to communities in Gummi, Gusau, Kaura Namoda, Maradun, Shinkafi, Tsafe and Zurmi.
The intervention is expected to benefit more than 625,000 people, based on an illustrative average of five people per household-equivalent connection.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on Thursday following the groundbreaking ceremony held on Wednesday.
The development also featured the unveiling of the Zamfara State Electricity Policy and the signing of a collaboration agreement between the REA and the state government to solarise public institutions, including hospitals, schools and other critical government facilities.
Speaking at the event, Governor Dauda Lawal said the electricity policy was designed to establish an investment-friendly market capable of supporting the state’s economic ambitions.
He said reliable electricity was critical to agricultural transformation, industrial development, healthcare delivery, education and job creation.
“Today, we are taking deliberate steps to redefine Zamfara’s electricity future. The unveiling of our State Electricity Policy is a statement of our intention to build a structured, investment-friendly and sustainable electricity market that responds to the needs of our people and the ambitions of our economy,” Lawal said.
He added that the partnership with the REA on the solarisation of public institutions was aimed at translating policy into infrastructure that would improve essential service delivery.
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The Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, said the projects reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to decentralised electricity infrastructure and increased state participation in electricity market development.
He said the Electricity Act 2023 had created opportunities for states to establish their electricity markets, adding that the Federal Government would support states taking practical steps to attract private investment.
“Electricity must do more than illuminate homes. It must power hospitals, strengthen educational institutions, support agricultural productivity, enable businesses and improve the quality of public services,” the minister said.
The REA Managing Director, Dr Abba Aliyu, described the intervention as a shift from delivering isolated electricity projects to developing an integrated energy market supported by infrastructure, policy reforms and private-sector investment.
He said the 125,106 planned connections would stimulate business activities, strengthen agricultural value chains, create jobs and attract private investment.
Aliyu, however, warned that electricity infrastructure would not be sustainable without an enabling regulatory and commercial framework.
He said the projects must be supported by clear policies, effective institutions, commercially viable tariffs, credible regulation and predictable investment conditions.
According to him, the agreement on public institution solarisation would reduce the financial burden of unreliable electricity on hospitals, schools and government facilities while creating anchor demand to improve the commercial viability of renewable energy investments.
He linked the intervention to the $750m World Bank-supported Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up programme, which targets electricity access for approximately 17.5 million Nigerians through about 1,350 mini-grids and other distributed renewable energy solutions.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Power commissioned two solar mini-grid projects developed by the Zamfara State Government.
The projects comprise a 1MW facility at Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital and a 1.2MW installation serving the Government House.
The two facilities have a combined generation capacity of 2.2MW and more than 3MW of battery storage.
The event also featured the unveiling of 100 ZamTaxi electric vehicles, 10 electric tricycles dedicated to maternal healthcare transportation and two compressed natural gas buses donated by the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas.
The initiatives form part of the state’s broader effort to expand renewable energy infrastructure, improve public services and promote cleaner transportation.
The development comes amid efforts by state governments to leverage the Electricity Act 2023, which allows them to establish and regulate electricity markets within their jurisdictions, subject to the provisions of the law.
Zamfara’s electricity policy is expected to provide a framework for institutional coordination, private-sector participation and commercially sustainable electricity infrastructure.
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