Residents of Oke-Oyi in Kwara State will benefit from improved electricity supply following the commissioning of a 581kW interconnected solar mini-grid in the community.
The project, developed by Nayo Tropical Technology under the Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme, is expected to connect 2,200 households and provide electricity to up to 10,000 residents when fully deployed.
Supported by the European Union and the German Government through the Nigeria Energy Support Programme and implemented by GIZ, the mini-grid will supply electricity to households, businesses, schools, health facilities, and other public facilities.
Located within the franchise area of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, the project combines renewable energy generation with national grid electricity to provide 24-hour power.
Speaking at the commissioning, Massimo De Luca, Head of Partnerships at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said the project reflected the EU’s Global Gateway strategy of investing in sustainable infrastructure.
‘The European Union is proud to support initiatives such as this because they reflect the spirit of our Global Gateway approach, investing in sustainable, high-quality infrastructure that improves lives, strengthens local economies and creates lasting partnerships,’ De Luca said.
He said collaboration among government institutions, development partners, the private sector and the community had been a key feature of the project.
According to him, engagement with residents had demonstrated how reliable electricity could support healthcare, education, agriculture and other productive activities.
Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy, Karin Jansen, said the project showed how renewable energy could integrate with existing electricity infrastructure to strengthen local power supply.
‘What makes this project particularly unique is the interconnected mini-grid model, which demonstrates how distributed renewable energies can be integrated with an existing electricity grid to strengthen local power supply,’ Jansen said.
She said lessons from Oke-Oyi could help inform the development of similar interconnected mini-grids and other distributed energy solutions across Nigeria.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, who commissioned the facility on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, said the project demonstrated the importance of extending electricity access to underserved communities.
‘We are bringing electricity to the last mile, bringing electricity to the end users and bringing electricity to communities that deserve the dividends of democracy,’ Tegbe said.
He said the Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme demonstrated how public funding and development partnerships could attract private investment and create commercially sustainable electricity projects.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nayo Tropical Technology, Okenwa Anayo, said about 180 households had so far been connected to the mini-grid, benefiting an estimated 1,000 people directly.
He said the company was expanding the project towards its target of connecting 2,200 households, with the wider community expected to benefit from improved electricity supply.
Anayo added that the developer was working with the community to expand the productive use of energy through agro-processing cooperatives, equipment and skills support to help local businesses increase production and access markets.
‘We are building a sustainable ecosystem hinged on a relationship and progress. We are looking at prosperity beyond energy,’ he said.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, said the project demonstrated the importance of extending electricity infrastructure beyond major cities to communities where reliable power could unlock economic and social opportunities.
‘Real leadership must travel to where the need is greatest. It must cross the highways, leave the major cities behind and journey to the last mile, to communities whose people have waited, sometimes for generations, for the dignity and opportunity that electricity provides,’ Aliyu said.
Representing the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, said improved electricity access could enable businesses to operate for longer hours, reduce dependence on expensive alternative power sources and strengthen education and healthcare.
He also said the improved power supply could create opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs in the community.
Danladi-Salihu urged residents to protect the facility and take ownership of the infrastructure to sustain its benefits.