Precious Anga
Lagos — President Bola Tinubu has announced that more than 1,000 mini-grids are under development across Nigeria as part of efforts to expand electricity access to underserved communities, hospitals, markets and educational institutions.
Speaking during his Democracy Day broadcast, Tinubu said the projects are central to ongoing reforms aimed at improving power supply and reducing energy poverty nationwide.
He disclosed that 48 interconnected mini-grids with a combined capacity of 288 megawatts are also being deployed in partnership with 11 electricity distribution companies to strengthen local power networks and improve reliability.
“To address the problems besetting the sector, I signed the Electricity Act, which grants states authority to generate, transmit and distribute power,” the President said.
Tinubu further revealed that the Presidential Power Sector Task Force has been authorised to raise a ₦4 trillion bond to settle verified legacy debts and accelerate efforts to close Nigeria’s metering gap.
The President praised the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) for expanding off-grid electricity solutions across the country, noting that renewable energy is playing an increasingly important role in bridging Nigeria’s power deficit.
Recent projects commissioned under the World Bank-backed Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme include solar hybrid mini-grids in Dekina and Olamaboro local government areas of Kogi State. The projects are expected to provide electricity to more than 5,000 households while supporting schools, healthcare facilities and small businesses.
According to the REA, the DARES programme aims to provide electricity access to more than 17.5 million Nigerians through 1,350 mini-grids, including 250 interconnected systems.
The agency also disclosed that Nigeria has a renewable energy pipeline of about 3.7 gigawatts, signalling growing investment in clean energy infrastructure.
The expanding mini-grid network is expected to play a key role in improving electricity access, supporting economic growth and reducing dependence on costly diesel-powered generation across the country.
