The Governing Board of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), has approved a N100 billion investment for the commencement of a 50-megawatt solar mini-grid programme across the region.
Managing Director of the Commission, Mohammed Alkali disclosed this at a media parley in Abuja, Nigeria, where he reeled out the achievements of the Commission in the past seven years.
Mr. Alkali explained that the Commission is entering the next phase of the Master Plan Expansion and Sustainable Growth, which seeks to unlock the North-East’s economic
potential by accelerating investments that promote industrialisation, regional
connectivity, energy, security, enterprise development and human capital, while
creating an enabling environment for private sector participation and sustainable economic growth.
Guided by the strategic 11 pillars of the North-East Stabilisation and Development
Master Plan, namely; peaceful society, leadership in agriculture, healthy citizens, purposeful infrastructure, productive entrepreneurs, educated populace, protected environment, industralisation, florishing trade memorable experience and a connected region, the Commission is shifting its focus from rebuilding what was lost to creating the conditions for long-term competitiveness and shared prosperity.
According to him, reliable electricity is the foundation for industrialisation, agricultural processing, healthcare delivery, digital innovation and sustainable economic growth.
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The NEDC Boss also unveiled plans for a North-East regional railway and airline, to improve regional connectivity, facilitate business travel, promote tourism, support cargo movement and strengthen trade with neighbouring countries.
“In collaboration with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and other development partners, the Commission is supporting the vision of achieving universal electrification across the North-East by 2030. Current assessments indicate that achieving this objective will require an estimated US$4.29 billion in investment to provide electricity access to approximately 4.26 million residential households and electrify more than 218,000 currently identified unelectrified communities across the region.
“The long-term electrification strategy envisions a balanced mix of technologies, including approximately 2.1 million households (50%) served through solar home systems, 438,000 households (10%) connected to the national grid in densely populated areas close to existing infrastructure, and approximately 1.7 million households (40%) electrified through renewable energy mini-grids, providing reliable power to communities where conventional grid extension is not economically viable”.
This, he noted, would provide electricity to homes, schools, hospitals, markets, industrial parks and small businesses while supporting Nigeria’s clean energy transition and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
He further announced the rollout of the Commission’s flagship Electric Vehicle (EV) Programme, beginning with 300 electric taxis, electric minibuses, tricycles and larger buses as part of a phased deployment of more than 10,000 electric vehicles, supported by charging infrastructure and maintenance facilities across the region.
According to Alkali, the electric mobility initiative will modernise public transportation, create job opportunities for the teeming youths, and stimulate investments.
To deepen enterprise development, Alkali disclosed that the Board has approved the establishment of a N30 billion NEDC-Bank of Industry (BOI) MSME Development Fund to provide accessible financing, business development services and capacity-building support for youth- and women-owned businesses, with the objective of creating jobs and strengthening local industries.
He added that other flagship health projects include the upgrade of the Borno Eye Hospital into a modern ophthalmic centre, the establishment of a Fertility Centre at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and the expansion of the Community Targeted Social Health Insurance Programme to about 10,000 vulnerable beneficiaries.
Alkali also announced strengthened strategic partnerships with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to promote industrialisation, renewable energy, enterprise development, skills acquisition and community resilience.
