The Federal Government, through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), on Thursday commissioned a 581kWp interconnected solar mini-grid project in Oke-Oyi Community, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, under the Rural Electrification Fund – Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (REF-IMAS) of the Rural Electrification Agency.
The project, developed by Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited, with support from the German Cooperation and the European Union through GIZ, is designed to expand access to reliable electricity while supporting economic activities and improving livelihoods in Oke-Oyi community.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, said the commissioning reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding electricity access and ensuring that energy investments translate into improved livelihoods and economic opportunities.
The Minister said that the project has a total installed capacity of 581kWp, comprising 1,336 solar panels and 84 batteries, with approximately 10 kilometres of distribution cables and transformers supporting the electricity distribution network.
“The project serves a community with an estimated population of 13,000 people, with electricity connections extended to residential and productive users.
“The intervention is already contributing to increased economic activity in Oke-Oyi, with new businesses emerging following the availability of improved electricity supply. These include 12 welding businesses, two pure water companies, four grain mills, four aluminium artisan businesses, one ice-block production business and one cold-room/ice-fish depot.
“Three electricity vendors are also currently operating, with three additional vendors, including a female entrepreneur, expected to be registered.
“The construction phase of the project also provided employment opportunities for members of the community through the engagement of painters, welders, bricklayers, iron benders, tilers, plumbers, borehole diggers and excavation labourers.”
Also speaking, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, represented by the Speaker, Kwara Assembly, and the APC governorship candidate, Salihu Danladi Yakubu, welcomed the intervention and noted the importance of reliable electricity to economic activities and community development.
“For Kwara State, every intervention that expands reliable electricity access to our communities is an important step towards creating a more conducive environment for enterprise, employment and improved livelihoods. We appreciate the Federal Government, REA and all development and private-sector partners for this investment in Oke-Oyi and look forward to its continued contribution to the development of the community.”
While celebrating the project, residents of Oke-Oyi community said that the mini-grid project would help to solve long years of irregular power supply in the area.
Speaking during the commissioning of the energy project at Oke-Oyi on Thursday, the community chairman, Alhaji Oseni Olarewaju Elemoso, said that the area had for many years longed for reliable electricity to improve lives and economic activities.
The residents, who said that the project has renewed their confidence in the commitment of the government and its partners to rural development, added that it has shown that Oke-Oyi is not forgotten.
“With this new source of electricity, we are confident that more businesses will thrive, livelihoods will improve and our community will continue to develop because our community is blessed with hardworking men, women and youths engaged in various economic activities.
“We are already witnessing the impact of this project, with new businesses including welders, pure water companies, grain millers, aluminium artisans, ice-block production and a cold room. We also appreciate the employment opportunities created for our people during the construction of the project.”
The Oke-Oyi community thanked the Federal Government, the Rural Electrification Agency, the German Cooperation, the European Union, GIZ, Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company for bringing this project to their community.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, Mallam Garba Olayinka Agbelere, called for protection and productive utilisation of the solar mini-grid project in Oke-Oyi community.
The council chairman, who said that provision of reliable electricity would boost economic activities in Oke-Oyi, added that it would create an enabling environment for businesses to expand and new enterprises to emerge.
“The provision of reliable electricity remains an important driver of economic and social development. For communities such as Oke-Oyi, access to electricity provides an opportunity for businesses to grow, new enterprises to emerge and our people to improve their livelihoods,” he said.
The council chairman also highlighted the employment opportunities generated during the construction of the project, noting that artisans, technicians and labourers from Oke-Oyi and other parts of Ilorin East benefited from the project.
He pledged the commitment of the local government to collaborate with the Oke-Oyi community, REA, the project developer and other stakeholders to ensure that the facility is adequately protected and sustained.
He urged residents to regard the mini-grid as their collective asset and protect it against vandalism, misuse and other activities capable of undermining its sustainability.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, said the Oke-Oyi project demonstrates the Agency’s commitment to deploying electricity infrastructure that delivers tangible economic value to communities.
“The real measure of an electrification project is not only the infrastructure we commission, but the opportunities that reliable electricity creates for the people who use it. In Oke-Oyi, we are already seeing new businesses emerge, productive activities expand and livelihoods being supported. This is precisely the kind of impact we seek to achieve through the Rural Electrification Agency and our partnership with the private sector and development partners.”
He added that the sustainability of the investment would remain an important consideration beyond commissioning, noting that communities, developers and other stakeholders all have a role to play in protecting and maximising the value of the infrastructure.
The Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Dr Karin Jansen, also speaking at the ceremony, highlighted the importance of strong partnerships in advancing sustainable energy access in Nigeria. She commended the Federal Ministry of Power, REA, the Kwara State Government, IBEDC, Nayo Tropical Technology, the EU, GIZ and the Oke-Oyi community for their contributions to the project.
She noted that the interconnected mini-grid demonstrates how partnerships between the public sector, development partners and private-sector developers can deliver practical and sustainable energy solutions for underserved communities.
In her address, she said: “Today is more than connecting a community to electricity; it is about demonstrating what is possible when government, development partners, utilities, private-sector developers and communities work together towards a common objective. We hope that the experience gained through this project will provide useful lessons for future interconnected mini-grids and other distributed energy solutions across Nigeria.”