FG Commissions Solar Mini-Grid For Kwara Residents 

The federal government has commissioned a 581kWp interconnected solar mini-grid in Oke-Oyi community, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, to improve electricity supply and support economic activities in the area.

The project was delivered by Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited under the Rural Electrification Fund-Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme, with support from the German Cooperation and the European Union through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Commissioning the facility on Thursday, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the project was in line with the federal government’s efforts to expand access to electricity and ensure that investments in the power sector translate into improved livelihoods for Nigerians.

Tegbe said the Oke-Oyi project demonstrated the administration’s commitment to making electricity a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and improved living standards.

“The purpose of electrification is ultimately to improve lives and create opportunities. What we are commissioning today in Oke-Oyi is an investment in the productive capacity of the community,” the minister said.

He said dependable electricity would help local businesses, including welding and grain milling enterprises, increase their output while providing an enabling environment for new businesses to emerge.

The minister also called for proper maintenance of completed electricity projects, stressing that sustained care was necessary for communities to continue benefiting from such investments.

The mini-grid has an installed capacity of 581kWp and consists of 1,336 solar panels and 84 batteries. The network is supported by about 10 kilometres of distribution cables and transformers.

The facility currently serves an estimated 13,000 residents, providing electricity to both households and businesses.

Since the intervention, economic activity in the community has expanded, 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 now operating in Oke-Oyi.

Three electricity vendors are also currently operating in the community, while three more, including a female entrepreneur, are expected to be registered.

The Kwara State governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, represented at the event by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, welcomed the project, saying improved electricity supply would support businesses, employment and broader community development.

“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,” Abdulrazaq said.

The governor expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and other development and private-sector partners involved in the project, saying the state looked forward to its continued contribution to Oke-Oyi’s development.

Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abubakar Aliyu, said the project reflected the agency’s drive to ensure that electrification initiatives produce tangible economic benefits for beneficiary communities.

“The real measure of an electrification project is not only the infrastructure we commission, but the opportunities that reliable electricity creates for the people who use it,” Aliyu said.

According to him, the growth of new businesses and expansion of productive activities in Oke-Oyi demonstrated the economic impact that reliable power could have on rural communities.

Aliyu said maintaining the infrastructure would remain a priority, adding that communities, project developers and other stakeholders all had roles to play in protecting the investment.

The Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Karin Jansen, described the project as an example of how partnerships could help deliver sustainable energy solutions to communities with limited access to electricity.

“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 acknowledged the contributions of the Federal Ministry of Power, REA, Kwara State Government, IBEDC, Nayo Tropical Technologies, the European Union, GIZ and residents of Oke-Oyi to the project.

The community leader, Oseni Elemoso, thanked the Federal Government, REA and development partners for bringing the project to the community and pledged the residents’ support in safeguarding the infrastructure.

“Today is a day of joy for the people of Oke-Oyi. We have longed for reliable electricity to improve our lives and economic activities, and we are already seeing new businesses emerge in our community,” the community leader said.

Beyond improving electricity access, the project’s construction provided temporary jobs for residents who worked as painters, welders, bricklayers, iron benders, tilers, plumbers, borehole diggers, and excavation labourers.

The project is part of the federal government’s wider electrification programme, implemented through REA, to extend power to unserved and underserved communities while promoting renewable energy solutions for economic and social development.