The Federal Government (FG) has endorsed a partnership between the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme to provide reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to agricultural processing hubs across Nigeria.
The partnership was formalised on Monday, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abuja.
The agreement, which falls under the REA’s Desert to Power (DTP) initiative supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), provides for joint technical assessments, advisory services and the deployment of electricity infrastructure across SAPZ locations nationwide.
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Representing Vice President Kashim Shettima at the ceremony, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hadejia, described the collaboration between the REA, the AfDB and the Ministry of Agriculture as a significant step towards strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
He said the successful implementation of the SAPZ programme would increase agricultural production, improve livelihoods in rural communities and accelerate economic development.
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He also reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting partnerships that can drive growth in critical sectors of the economy.
The Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, said the collaboration with the Ministry of Power and international development partners would help tackle infrastructure challenges affecting agricultural processing.
According to him, improved electricity supply will enhance agro-processing activities, raise rural incomes and support the Tinubu administration’s economic transformation agenda.
Speaking on the agency’s role, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, disclosed that the REA had completed 424 mini-grid projects across the country, while another 693 projects are currently under construction.
Aliyu said each SAPZ project is expected to provide electricity to about 25,000 households, connect 13 healthcare facilities and directly benefit more than 103,000 people within each designated location.
The National Programme Coordinator of SAPZ, Kabir Yusuf, identified inadequate electricity supply as one of the biggest constraints to agro-processing operations in Nigeria.
He said deploying mini-grids to the processing zones would improve productivity, lower operational costs and extend stable electricity to surrounding communities.
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Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman, assured stakeholders of the ministry’s commitment to ensuring the successful implementation of the electrification projects contained in the agreement.
The event ended with officials of the Rural Electrification Agency and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones programme formally signing the Memorandum of Understanding.
