The Nigerian government has reaffirmed its commitment to rural development through improved electricity access, aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who made this known during a meeting with the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad also emphasised that electricity is a fundamental right for all Nigerians.
According to Adelabu, the collaboration between Nigeria and Egypt will centre on strengthening bilateral cooperation in energy expansion, with a focus on renewable energy and rural electrification.
He highlighted Nigeria’s efforts to connect remote rural areas to power through renewable energy initiatives, citing the economic challenges of extending the national grid to these regions.
“Many rural areas cannot be connected to the grid due to economic constraints, but we cannot neglect them. Through our renewable energy program, we are bridging this gap.
“We have secured significant investments, including $750 million from the World Bank’s DARES project and an additional $190 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to support this initiative,” Adelabu stated.
The minister, speaking on Nigeria’s abundant renewable energy resources, including solar, wind and hydroelectric potential, expressed the government’s determination to harness these resources for sustainable energy access in the country.
Lauding Egypt’s achievements in the energy sector, Adelabu described the country as a role model in energy infrastructure development.
He expressed Nigeria’s interest in learning from Egypt’s experience in energy generation, transmission, and distribution, stressing that the success in Egypt led to the engagements with Siemens to stabilise Nigeria’s power sector.
“Egypt has made remarkable strides in energy transformation, and we are eager to collaborate and learn from your expertise. Our goal is to ensure reliable, stable, and affordable energy access for all Nigerians,” he said.
The Minister outlined Nigeria’s progress in the power sector since he assumed office 17 months ago, noting that access to electricity has been expanded to bridge noticeable gaps.
Adelabu also acknowledged challenges in grid reliability, ageing infrastructure, and metering gaps, which he said the government is addressing through initiatives like the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI).
The Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, expressed Egypt’s enthusiasm for collaborating with Nigeria, particularly in closing the metering gap and sharing best practices in energy access.
He emphasised the shared goals and mutual benefits of strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations, saying.
“Nigeria and Egypt have much in common, and there is immense potential for collaboration in the energy sector. We are committed to working together to achieve sustainable energy solutions for both countries.
“I want to commend you for the efforts you are putting into the power sector, which is visible everywhere. Nigeria and Egypt had a Memoranda of Understanding about power projects.
“We should activate the MOU, and maybe we can start by holding virtual meetings and talking to each other to see if there are areas where we can learn from each other because power is an ambitious plan, especially when it comes to renewable energy.
“We want to increase the contribution of renewable energy to our overall electricity production to 42 per cent by 2035. Now it stands at 14 percent. This is because fossil fuel is now the main thing. Our electricity comes fundamentally from gas, of course similar to Nigeria. Also like Nigeria, we are blessed with solar and wind to power our renewable energy.
“We need the cooperation of Nigeria in this area. We are looking forward to you visiting us on this important exchange of ideas,” he said.
The meeting underscored the growing partnership between Nigeria and Egypt in advancing energy access and renewable energy development, with both nations poised to leverage their shared resources and expertise for mutual growth.
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