The Rural Electrification Agency says it aims to provide 24,500 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with energy-efficient electricity through the Productive Use of Equipment (PUE) and appliances.
REA, in a statement on Sunday, said the initiative would ensure 1,050,000 people have improved access to energy services, which will be executed under the Nigeria Electrification Project.
The Agency explained that the PUE is in efforts to ensure that rural and underserved communities have unhindered access to energy-efficient and electricity productive equipment.
The Managing Director of REA, Salihijo Ahmad, explained that the PUE will drive sustainable off-grid energy infrastructure across communities in Nigeria.
Ahmad was quoted as saying: “The PUE will encourage the use of low-cost productive appliances in unserved and underserved communities to improve rural productivity, economic growth and also rural development.
“We are here for the grant agreement signing for the productive use Appliances Component of the Nigeria Electrification Project under the African Development Bank funding stream.
“At REA, our mandate is to provide access to electricity to unserved and underserved households and MSMEs in rural communities of Nigeria.”
The PUE will encourage the use of low-cost productive appliances in unserved and underserved communities to improve rural productivity, economic growth and also rural development.
Ahmad said the Agency from inception has continued to collaborate and support private-sector participation in its dedication and commitment to achieve this mandate.
He added that beyond keeping the lights on, REA was deliberate about the optimisation of productive use of equipment and appliances to catalyse socio-economic development in off-grid communities.
He said: “We understand how important it is for beneficiaries of off-grid technologies to appreciate the windows of possibilities sustainable energy presents. This is why this component is very important.
“Through NEP, which is funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, it was established to increase access to electricity services to unserved and underserved households, MSMEs in the rural communities as well as Federal Universities and Teaching Hospitals throughout Nigeria.”
Ahmad noted that the agreement signing marks a milestone in the implementation of the ADP funded NEP, where energy access companies are supported through the energy efficient productive use subsidy programme.
He added: “To encourage the use of low-cost productive use appliances at unserved and underserved communities in order to improve rural productivity, economic growth and also rural employment.”
While appreciating the continuous cooperation of the energy access companies, he also urged them “to align fully with the impactful objectives of this programme in order to achieve transformative change,” while striving to achieve set objectives.
