Twenty-three newly deployed solar-powered mini-grids are already improving Nigeria’s food security, the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe and the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, have said.
At the media launch of the Africa Mini-Grid Programme, AMP, in Abuja, the Minister described the partnership between REA, the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, and the Global Environment Facility, GEF, as a vivid demonstration of innovation and commitment to expanding sustainable energy across Nigeria.
He said the partnership is bringing the country closer to achieving universal electricity access, especially in unserved and underserved communities.
“Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Ministry of Power has been deliberate in deploying renewable energy solutions not just to homes, but directly to agricultural clusters that feed the nation,” the Minister stated.
He said that the AMP goes beyond installing electricity infrastructure.
He added: “The programme is fundamentally transforming rural communities, livelihoods and local economies. When you power farms and agro-processing centres, you power food production, jobs and income,” he said.
The REA and UNDP noted that the 23 mini-grids are designed to provide clean, reliable power to farming communities, cold storage facilities, and small businesses, reducing post-harvest losses and cutting costs for farmers.
Speaking, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Dr. Abba Aliyu noted that the ultimate goal of the project is to create a sustainable, structural economic impact that directly strengthens national food systems.
He emphasized that the benchmark for successful energy access must evolve past simply counting household wire connections.
He observed that for decades, energy poverty and agricultural poverty have existed side by side.
He said the Africa Mini-Grid Program directly challenges this reality by integrating productive-use appliances into energy access solutions, effectively strengthening the relationship between electricity and agriculture.
According to him, the 23 mini-grids have been deployed in historically underserved regions, directly empowering local rice processors to double their daily output and spurring the creation of localized supply chains.
He said: “Farmers can now process and preserve their produce on-site, which eliminates expensive logistics and prevents agricultural spoilage. The steady electricity supply is also driving rural income diversification, providing extended operating hours for women entrepreneurs and local tech artisans whose businesses can now remain open long after sunset.”