By Iroyin Yoruba Television
The Rural Electrification Agency has called for stronger coordination among government institutions, state governments, development partners, private operators and other stakeholders to accelerate electricity access across Nigeria.
The Managing Director of the agency, Dr Abubakar Aliyu, made the call on Monday in Abuja at the official relaunch of the Off-Grid Stakeholder Coordination and Partnership Forum.
The forum is being repositioned as a platform for coordinating Nigeria's off-grid electricity interventions and reducing duplication among organisations implementing projects across the sector.
Aliyu said better coordination was necessary because multiple institutions are currently involved in electricity projects, sometimes working in the same locations without sufficient information-sharing.
He said an analysis of the 2024 and 2025 Federal Government budgets using artificial intelligence had identified electricity-related projects being implemented by several government institutions, including some agencies not traditionally regarded as major players in the power sector.
The REA boss warned that without stronger coordination involving federal and state authorities, limited resources could continue to be spread across overlapping interventions.
A CALL FOR BETTER COORDINATION
Nigeria's electricity-access challenge involves several layers of government and a growing number of private and development-sector participants.
Federal agencies implement national programmes, state governments are increasingly involved in electricity-market development, development partners finance projects, while private companies operate mini-grids and other distributed-energy systems.
The growing number of participants can create opportunities for wider coverage, but it can also create coordination challenges.
According to the REA, some projects have overlapped in the same locations while other communities with electricity needs may remain underserved.
The agency believes that a centralised approach to information-sharing could help stakeholders determine where electricity projects already exist and where additional interventions are required.
Such a system could also help government and development partners evaluate projects after they have been completed.
A CENTRAL DATA PLATFORM
One of the proposals highlighted at the forum was the development of a centralised platform containing information on electricity projects and interventions.
Such a platform would allow participating organisations to share information about project locations, technologies, beneficiaries, financing arrangements and implementation status.
The objective would be to give stakeholders a clearer picture of where resources are being deployed.
Better data could also help reduce duplication.
If one community has already received a solar mini-grid or another electricity intervention, agencies could identify the existing project before approving another similar installation.
At the same time, communities without adequate electricity access could be identified more easily.
The approach could improve the allocation of limited public and development funding.
OFF-GRID ELECTRICITY
Off-grid solutions have become an important component of Nigeria's strategy for expanding electricity access.
Solar home systems, mini-grids and other distributed-energy technologies can provide electricity to communities that are not adequately served by the conventional national grid.
This is particularly relevant in rural and underserved communities where extending traditional grid infrastructure can be difficult or expensive.
The REA has supported numerous off-grid projects as part of efforts to expand access.
The Federal Government says more than 7.5 million Nigerians have gained electricity access through more than 200 solar hybrid mini-grids and approximately 1.8 million solar home-system connections.
The figures demonstrate the growing role of distributed renewable energy in Nigeria's electricity-access strategy.
THE NEXT STAGE OF OFF-GRID DEVELOPMENT
The discussion at the forum also focused on moving beyond simply counting electricity connections.
Stakeholders argued that the success of an electricity project should not be measured only by the number of households connected.
The more important question is what communities and businesses can do with the electricity after connection.
Reliable power can support small businesses, agricultural processing, refrigeration, education, healthcare facilities, communications and other productive activities.
For this reason, stakeholders at the forum called for greater emphasis on productive use of electricity.
A mini-grid that powers a community's homes but cannot adequately support businesses may have a different economic impact from a system that also enables local enterprises to expand.
FINANCING CHALLENGES
The need for better coordination has become more pressing as available funding for electricity projects faces constraints.
Limited resources mean that duplication can have a significant cost.
If two organisations finance similar infrastructure in the same area while another community remains without electricity, the overall impact of the available funding is reduced.
The REA therefore wants stakeholders to share information and coordinate investments.
The approach could also make it easier for investors and development partners to identify viable opportunities.
Clear information about existing infrastructure can reduce uncertainty and help organisations determine where additional investment could have the greatest effect.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COORDINATION SECRETARIAT
The Federal Government is establishing a standing Off-Grid Coordination Secretariat as part of the new framework.
The secretariat is expected to track commitments and risks, convene issue-based working groups and generate shared market intelligence.
The Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Doyin Adelabu, said fragmentation remained a major challenge to electricity-project delivery.
The new coordination structure is intended to create a more continuous mechanism for collaboration rather than relying solely on periodic meetings.
Stakeholders will be expected to nominate focal points, share relevant data and commitments and participate in working groups.
STATES HAVE A GROWING ROLE
State governments are increasingly important to Nigeria's electricity-access strategy following changes introduced by the Electricity Act.
The law provides a framework for state electricity markets and allows states to take greater responsibility for electricity regulation and development within their jurisdictions.
The REA therefore wants states to be fully involved in national discussions on off-grid development.
State-level participation can help ensure that federal programmes are aligned with local electricity needs.
It can also improve planning because state authorities may have information about communities, businesses and public institutions that require additional power infrastructure.
FROM CONNECTIONS TO PRODUCTIVE USE
A major theme emerging from the forum was the need to measure the impact of electricity rather than simply the number of connections.
Electricity can have a broader economic effect when it is used productively.
For farmers, reliable power can support irrigation, processing and cold storage.
For small manufacturers, it can reduce dependence on expensive diesel generators.
For health facilities, electricity can support refrigeration, lighting, medical equipment and communications.
For schools, reliable electricity can improve access to digital learning and basic services.
These uses can generate economic activity beyond the initial electricity connection.
The REA and other stakeholders therefore face the challenge of ensuring that new electricity projects are designed around the actual needs of communities.
PRIVATE INVESTMENT
Private operators are also expected to play an important role in expanding off-grid electricity.
Mini-grid developers and renewable-energy companies require a predictable investment environment in order to build and maintain infrastructure.
Better coordination between government agencies can help private operators understand where opportunities exist and avoid conflicts with existing public projects.
It can also provide clearer information about communities that require additional investment.
For investors, reliable data can reduce the uncertainty associated with entering underserved markets.
For government, private participation can increase the amount of capital available for electricity infrastructure.
MISSION 300
Nigeria's electricity-access plans are also linked to the broader African Mission 300 initiative, which seeks to connect 300 million people across Africa to electricity by 2030.
Nigeria is one of the countries expected to contribute significantly to the continental target because of its large population and substantial electricity-access gap.
Achieving such a target requires investment in both grid and off-grid infrastructure.
It also requires coordination because electricity-access projects can involve national governments, state authorities, private companies, financial institutions and international development organisations.
The REA's renewed coordination framework is intended to help improve cooperation among these different participants.
NEW TARGETS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY ACCESS
The Federal Government's Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up programme is targeting an additional 17 million Nigerians.
The programme is also expected to support approximately 465 megawatts of new renewable-energy capacity.
If implemented effectively, such projects could expand access in communities where conventional grid expansion is difficult.
However, the scale of the target also makes planning and coordination important.
Projects need to be properly located, adequately financed and maintained after installation.
Communities must also be able to use the electricity productively so that infrastructure delivers sustained economic and social benefits.
WHY THE DEVELOPMENT MATTERS
Nigeria's electricity challenge has consequences for households, businesses and public institutions.
Unreliable electricity can increase operating costs because businesses often have to rely on diesel or petrol generators.
For households, inadequate power can affect education, communication, refrigeration and other daily activities.
For government, expanding electricity access can support economic development and improve the delivery of public services.
Off-grid renewable energy offers one route toward addressing some of these challenges.
However, the effectiveness of the approach depends on how projects are planned, financed, coordinated and maintained.
The REA's latest initiative therefore focuses not simply on building more projects but on improving the way the entire off-grid ecosystem works together.
A MORE COORDINATED APPROACH
The relaunch of the Off-Grid Stakeholder Coordination and Partnership Forum represents an effort to create a more structured framework for cooperation.
The forum began as a donor roundtable in 2017 and is now being relaunched under a new coordination framework.
The new structure is expected to help stakeholders identify gaps, address bottlenecks and monitor commitments between meetings.
For Nigeria's electricity sector, the emphasis on continuous coordination could become increasingly important as the number of projects and participating organisations grows.
A central source of information could also make it easier to evaluate progress and identify areas where additional investment is needed.
WHAT COMES NEXT
The effectiveness of the new coordination framework will depend on whether participating institutions consistently share information and act on the data generated.
The Federal Government, states, development partners, private operators and civil-society organisations will need to cooperate if the proposed system is to reduce duplication and improve project delivery.
The establishment of the Off-Grid Coordination Secretariat provides a structure for that cooperation.
The next stage will involve developing the shared information systems, identifying priority areas and coordinating existing and future projects.
For communities without reliable electricity, the ultimate measure will be whether these efforts result in more dependable and affordable power.
Nigeria's electricity-access challenge cannot be addressed through one programme or one institution alone.
The REA's latest call therefore places coordination at the centre of the next phase of off-grid development.
By combining better data, stronger cooperation, state participation, private investment and a greater focus on productive use, stakeholders are seeking to ensure that limited resources produce broader and more sustainable electricity access across Nigeria.