The Federal Government, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has inaugurated the Africa Minigrids Programme (AMP) in Nigeria.
Tegbe said, “The programme represents more than the commissioning of mini-grid infrastructure. It represents the power of partnership, innovation, and our shared commitment to expanding sustainable energy across Nigeria.
“It marks the transformation of communities, the improvement of livelihoods, and the revitalisation of local economies.”
He said that the first phase of the programme comprising 23 mini-grids would provide electricity to 50,000 people, serve 20,000 households, and support thousands of businesses.
He added that additional phases were already being planned, and noted that Nigeria currently had its first 200-megawatt solar farm.
In his remarks, Mohammed Fall, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, said access to sustainable energy remained essential to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
According to him, without sustainable energy, sustainable development remains out of reach.
He added that mini-grids were not simply energy projects, but development solutions capable of transforming rural communities.
UNDP Regional Director for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, said the programme marked a shift from fragmented, grant-funded energy projects to scalable investments driven by partnerships with the private sector.
According to her, Africa has a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional fossil fuel-based energy systems and become a global leader in renewable energy deployment.
UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, said the unveiling of the 23 AMP projects had proven that energy is economic infrastructure capable of driving productivity, investment, and inclusive growth.
Meanwhile, Abba Aliyu, managing director/CEO of REA, described electricity as the backbone of modern society.
He said the AMP connected electricity directly to productive economic activities while leveraging public funding to attract private sector investment.
It supports the deployment of standardized, solar-powered mini-grids that provide reliable electricity to productive agricultural clusters across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
