Nasarawa Partners NOMAP On Power, Investment

Nasarawa State government has entered into a partnership with the Nigeria Off-Grid Market Acceleration Program (NOMAP) to enhance its power and sustainability agenda.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to that effect was signed by NOMAP, the state government through the Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA) with the Nasarawa Electricity Power Agency (NAEPA) as the technical lead in Lafia, the state capital.

Our correspondent reports that while NASIDA’s managing director, Ibrahim Abdullahi signed on behalf of the state government, NOMAP’s programme director, Mr Adedotun Eyinade represented his organisation.

NOMAP was established in 2018 through a partnership between the Shell Foundation, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and USAID Power Africa under their Scaling Off Grid Energy Grand Challenge for Development (SOGE) partnership.

It is primarily aimed at tackling the barriers limiting the growth of the Off-Grid Energy Sector in Nigeria and to promote the creation of a favorable environment for clean energy such as off-grid solar solutions especially in the rural areas.

NASIDA’s managing director, Ibrahim Abdullahi, explained that the partnership is a step towards bringing the State’s vision of becoming amongst the top three most competitive economies in Nigeria to actualisation.

He also noted that the support from NOMAP will further strengthen the offering of the state, improve the business environment, offer certainty to prospective investors as well as deliver tangible benefits to hard-to-reach communities. 

 “The collaboration with NOMAP to provide an opportunity to enhance our state’s Off-Grid energy landscape, attracts investment, and promotes sustainable development.

“We are excited about the prospects of this project, and welcome all players within the electricity value chain to prepare and engage.

“The programme will support the State government with the development of its Off-Grid energy policy, build capacity for relevant state government institutions, support in implementation of the policy, and facilitate further private sector and development partner support for Off-Grid clean energy projects in the state,” he stated.