FG commissions 581kWp solar mini-grid in Kwara, powers 13,000 residents
By Onu Okorie
The Federal Government has commissioned a 581-kilowatt peak (kWp) interconnected solar mini-grid in Oke-Oyi, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, as part of efforts to expand electricity access to unserved and underserved communities across Nigeria.
The project was delivered under the Rural Electrification Fund–Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (REF-IMAS) of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), in partnership with Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited, with support from the German Cooperation and the European Union through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The intervention, which is expected to strengthen electricity supply and stimulate local economic activities, serves an estimated 13,000 residents and provides connections to both residential and productive users.
The installed system comprises 1,336 solar panels and 84 batteries, supported by approximately 10 kilometres of distribution cables and transformers forming part of the electricity distribution network.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, said the project demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that investments in electricity infrastructure translate directly into improved livelihoods and economic opportunities.
According to him, the ultimate purpose of electrification is to improve lives and create opportunities for communities.
“What we are commissioning today in Oke-Oyi is an investment in the productive capacity of the community. When electricity enables a welder to expand his business, a grain miller to operate more efficiently or a new enterprise to emerge, we are seeing the direct connection between energy access and economic development,” he said.
Tegbe also stressed the need to sustain completed electricity infrastructure, saying maintaining such investments would be critical to ensuring that communities continue to enjoy their benefits over the long term.
The Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, represented at the event, welcomed the intervention, noting that reliable electricity was essential for enterprise development, employment generation and improved livelihoods.
“For Kwara State, every intervention that expands reliable electricity access to our communities is an important step towards creating a more conducive environment for enterprise, employment and improved livelihoods,” he said.
The governor commended the Federal Government, REA and the development and private-sector partners involved in the project.
The REA Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, said the project demonstrated the agency’s focus on deploying electricity infrastructure capable of producing tangible economic value.
Aliyu said the success of an electrification project should not be measured solely by the infrastructure commissioned, but also by the economic opportunities created for beneficiaries.
“In Oke-Oyi, we are already seeing new businesses emerge, productive activities expand and livelihoods being supported. This is precisely the kind of impact we seek to achieve through the Rural Electrification Agency and our partnership with the private sector and development partners,” he said.
He added that sustainability would remain a key consideration beyond the commissioning, stressing that communities, developers and other stakeholders had responsibilities to protect and maximise the value of the infrastructure.
Businesses spring up
The improved electricity supply is already supporting new economic activities in Oke-Oyi, with 12 welding businesses, two pure water companies, four grain mills, four aluminium artisan businesses, an ice-block production business and a cold-room/ice-fish depot emerging in the community.
Three electricity vendors are also currently operating, while three additional vendors, including a female entrepreneur, are expected to be registered.
The project also created temporary employment during its construction phase for community members engaged as painters, welders, bricklayers, iron benders, tilers, plumbers, borehole diggers and excavation labourers.
The Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Dr Karin Jansen, said the project demonstrated the value of partnerships among government, development institutions, utilities, private-sector developers and communities in delivering sustainable energy solutions.
She commended the Federal Ministry of Power, REA, Kwara State Government, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Nayo Tropical Technologies, the European Union, GIZ and the Oke-Oyi community for their contributions.
“Today is more than connecting a community to electricity; it is about demonstrating what is possible when government, development partners, utilities, private-sector developers and communities work together towards a common objective,” Jansen said.
She expressed the hope that lessons from the Oke-Oyi project would inform the development of future interconnected mini-grids and other distributed energy solutions across Nigeria.
The Managing Director/CEO of IBEDC said the successful integration of the mini-grid into the distribution network demonstrated what could be achieved through collaboration between distribution companies, REA, private developers and development partners.
He said the project would provide customers with improved access to electricity while supporting businesses and productive activities.
The Oke-Oyi community leader described the commissioning as a “day of joy” for residents, saying the community had long sought reliable electricity to improve livelihoods and economic activities.
He assured stakeholders that the community would cooperate in protecting the infrastructure and ensuring its continued operation.
The project forms part of the Federal Government’s broader rural electrification strategy through REA, aimed at expanding electricity access in underserved communities while deploying renewable-energy solutions to support economic and social development.
The regulatory and sector significance: the Oke-Oyi model also illustrates the growing role of interconnected mini-grids in complementing conventional distribution infrastructure. By integrating distributed renewable generation with the existing distribution network, such projects can potentially improve supply to underserved communities while creating new productive-use demand. Their long-term impact, however, will depend on effective maintenance, commercial sustainability, protection of infrastructure and continued coordination among REA, distribution companies, developers, regulators and beneficiary communities.