Nigeria plan to use solar power for rural electrification

Nigeria has concluded plans to use solar energy for its rural electrification projects, Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo, said on Tuesday.

The West African country was working with relevant stakeholders to achieve the desire, Nebo told visiting guests from the Botswana Defense College in Abuja, the nation’s capital city.

The minister said the ministry was exploring ways to ensure that electricity consumers in the areas that would be affected by the project paid a token into a pool for the maintenance of the solar facilities.

He also stressed the need for the training of rural dwellers in the maintenance of the solar panels and other ancillary facilities.

According to Nebo, solar energy was necessary in boosting power supply in the country due to its sustainability and the abundance of sun in the country.

He added that the Nigerian government was committed to creating the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Brig.-Gen. Shedrack Moloi, said  they were in the country to study its power sector.

Moloi said the choice of Nigeria was informed by the similarities and challenges in the provision and supply of energy in both countries.

The west African country has one of Africa’s lowest per capita power supplies, with half of the 160 million people off the grid.

Daily blackouts force companies to rely on diesel-fired generators, pushing up business costs by up to 40 percent.

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