By Ayomide Otitoju
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Nigeria’s rural economy through expanded access to electricity, with a renewed focus on using energy to drive agricultural productivity, job creation and economic growth.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe made the commitment during the Stakeholders’ Engagement Workshop on Productive Use of Energy (PUE) in Abuja, which brought together government agencies, development partners, financial institutions, manufacturers, farmers’ associations and members of the diplomatic community.
Tegbe said rural electrification should no longer be viewed solely as extending power infrastructure to underserved communities but as a tool for creating economic opportunities and supporting enterprise.
He noted that the success of the power sector should not be measured only by electricity generation or the number of households connected to the grid, but by its impact on productive activities such as irrigation, agro-processing, food preservation and rural businesses.
According to the minister, the Productive Use of Energy initiative aligns the country’s energy, agriculture, industrialisation, financial inclusion, food security and job creation goals. He highlighted the significant losses farmers incur due to inadequate cold storage, limited processing facilities and the high cost of energy-intensive equipment.
Tegbe said expanding access to reliable energy would reduce operating costs for farmers, create investment opportunities for financial institutions, stimulate demand for locally manufactured equipment and support broader rural development.
In his welcome address, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu, described the initiative as a long-term strategy aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural value chain through sustainable energy solutions.
Aliyu said the REA’s Energising Agriculture Programme has developed a pipeline of more than 120 bankable projects across the country. He also disclosed that the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme has committed $250 million to standalone solar systems, $100 million to solar-as-a-business initiatives and $50 million to productive-use equipment.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, represented at the workshop, pledged support for the initiative, while a representative of the ECOWAS Commission reaffirmed the regional body’s commitment to promoting energy-driven agricultural transformation across West Africa.
The workshop is the first in a series of planned engagements that will focus on financing, technology standards and deployment strategies for productive-use energy equipment.
Stakeholders expressed optimism that the collaboration between the Federal Government, REA, ECOWAS, development partners and the private sector would attract investment, drive innovation and improve livelihoods across Nigeria’s rural communities.
