The Off-Grid Stakeholder Coordination Forum, which the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and its development partners recently launched, acknowledged the support and collaboration of the organisations whose collective engagement has advanced coordination, market development, knowledge exchange, technical support, and stakeholder collaboration within the off-grid ecosystem.
The forum said it worked strategically with the support and collaboration of UK PACT, Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Beckaphyl, the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA), SNV, Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS), and Murty International.
It said that, in line with the Agency’s sustained efforts in the strategic development of the nation’s off-grid sector, the REA, in collaboration with key development, industry and technical partners, has launched the Off-Grid Stakeholder Coordination Forum,
It is a strategic platform designed to strengthen coordination, improve alignment and accelerate sustainable growth across Nigeria’s rapidly evolving off-grid and clean energy ecosystem.
Launched in Abuja under the theme ‘Repositioning Sector Coordination for Strategic Growth, Partnership and Delivery,’ the Forum brings together government institutions, state governments, development partners, financiers, private-sector operators, industry associations, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders working across Nigeria’s decentralised energy landscape.
The initiative responds to the growing scale and complexity of Nigeria’s off-grid sector, where multiple institutions and organisations are implementing projects and interventions across different communities, often with overlapping mandates, funding streams and development objectives.
Stakeholders at the launch emphasised that stronger coordination is increasingly essential to ensure that investments are complementary, resources are efficiently deployed, and underserved communities are reached equitably.
Beyond government, the Forum recognises the critical contribution of development partners and industry organisations in building Nigeria’s clean energy market.
Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of REA, Engr. Abba Abubakar Aliyu, underscored the importance of establishing a common coordination and alignment architecture for the sector.
According to Aliyu, ‘the objective is not to create another layer of bureaucracy, but to provide a practical mechanism through which stakeholders can better understand who is doing what, where interventions are being deployed, what resources are available, and how different initiatives can be strategically aligned’.
He noted that better coordination would help eliminate duplication, improve institutional and operational efficiency, enhance the allocation of scarce resources and ensure that multiple programmes do not inadvertently target the same communities while other underserved locations remain unattended.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Federal Ministry of Power, Adedoyin Adelabu, assured stakeholders and the general public of the Ministry’s dedication to service and policy guidance.
He explained that fragmentation is the quiet tax every under-coordinated sector pays: in duplicated effort, missed investment opportunities, and slower delivery of power to the Nigerians who need it most.
According to him, ‘The Forum is therefore expected to serve as a continuous platform for shared intelligence, joint problem-solving, partnership development and coordinated action, rather than a one-off stakeholder engagement.
The Forum will consequently provide opportunities for stakeholders to identify common challenges, share lessons and data, align priorities and develop practical partnerships capable of moving successful interventions from individual projects to scalable sector-wide solutions.’
Stakeholders also highlighted the importance of a coordinated approach at the launch.