Off grid: Nigeria empowered 340,000 SMEs

In Nigeria, 340,000 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have been connected to off-grid electricity scheme through the Energizing Economics Initiative (EEI),

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the EEI is a government initiative implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to support the rapid deployment of off grid electricity solutions to SMEs.

The initiative is fully funded by the private sector and has been supported by USAID’s Power Africa program.

According to the Director of Promotions in REA, Mr Ayang Ogbe, the federal government through the Agency, implemented the EEI to provide clean, safe, affordable and reliable electricity to economic clusters, such as market places, shopping centers, and industrial facilities. The initiative was implemented through private sector developers, he said.

In his words, the EEI which is fully funded by the private sector developers aimed to provide electricity access to over 80,000 shops across 16 economic clusters, empower over 340,000 SMEs.

The program has created over 2,500 jobs, while serving over 18 million Nigerians.

“This is a significant milestone in the financing of the Energizing Economies Initiative. Since the deployment of off grid electricity solutions at various markets across the country, we are already witnessing positive environmental and economic impacts,” the agency said in a statement.