Abia Govt Adopts Off-grid Electricity Policy

Abia State government has bought into an Off-grid electrification policy and action plan policy proposed by the Nigeria off-grid Market Acceleration Program (NoMAP).

The government gave the nod in Umuahia, the state capital at a one-day stateholders workshop organised the NoMAP on the policy for the ministries, departments, and agencies..

According to the resource persons, the NoMAP is a brainchild of Shell Foundation, USAID and supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and a couple of other donour agencies.

They also informed the participants that most of the work the NoMAP do centre around policy and regulation, intervention like funding to off-grid companies, stateholders engagement, and capacity building.

A program associate with NoMAP Jennifer Anya Lekwa said they are helping the ministries, departments, and agencies with the documentation of their policies and plan of action for off-grid electricity.

“This policy will be able to catalyze development in the state and help them to channel some funding from donour organisations and investors with regard to electricity.

In a chart with LEADERSHIP Sunday, the program associate said they were able to get a concensus of the participants as many of them explained how important the policy will.be for them.

“It is essentially carring them along with the development of the state and what the governor, Alex Otti is also putting together for the development of the state,” Lekwa further noted.

Earlier, while declaring the workshop open, the state’s commissioner for power and public utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, noted that the state was in dire need energy and lauded the NoMAP and its sponsors for its agenda.