Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA), a Federal Government Agency under the Ministry of Power, has said that it is implementing the Productive Use of Equipment and Appliances (PUE) as part of its efforts towards ensuring that rural and underserved communities have uninterrupted access to energy-efficient and electric-productive equipment.
The Managing Director of REA, Mr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, while speaking during the grant agreement signing of PUE, revealed that with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, the project will drive the sustainability of off-grid energy infrastructure across communities in Nigeria.
In his own words, “at REA, our mandate is to provide access to electricity to unserved and underserved households and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within rural communities, as well as federal universities and teaching hospitals throughout the country.
“The Agency from inception, has continued to collaborate and support private-sector participation in our dedication and commitment to achieve this mandate.
“Beyond keeping the lights on, we are very deliberate about the optimization of productive use equipment and appliances to catalyze socio-economic development in off-grid communities.
“We understand how important it is for beneficiaries of off-grid technologies to appreciate the windows of possibilities that sustainable energy presents. This is why this component is very important.”
Ahmad expressed that the signing event marked a milestone in the implementation of the AfDB-funded NEProject, where Energy Access Companies (EACs) are supported through the energy-efficient productive use subsidy program to encourage the use of low-cost PUEs at unserved and underserved communities.
He also said that “I would like to use this opportunity to appreciate the energy access companies for their continuous cooperation. I urge you all to align fully with the impactful objectives of this programme in order to achieve transformative change.
“We have achieved a lot through NEP but you will agree with me that there is so much more to be done, and we must continue to push forth to achieve our objectives.”
The PUE is meant to encourage the use of low-cost productive appliances in unserved and underserved communities in order to improve rural productivity, economic growth, and also rural employment.
REA, through its NEProject, aims to provide 24,500 MSMEs with energy-efficient productive use appliances, while ensuring that 1,050,000 people have improved access to energy services.