THE Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has set out to monitor the Energising Economies Initiative (EEI) introduced in 2017.
The EEI is an initiative of the Federal Government implemented by the private sector to provide stable, cheap, and efficient clean energy (off-grid) to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in strategic markets, also identified as economic clusters in Nigeria.
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Personal Assistant to REA Chief Executive Officer David Otu told The ICIR during a meeting held on Tuesday in Abuja while sharing some of the findings in the investigation.
The three-part report revealed some of the challenges confronting the project’s efficiency such as poor coverage across the benefitting markets, high tariff, and the lukewarm attitude of selected power providers, among others.
It also highlighted how the project would have significantly contributed to Nigeria’s Internal Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) as part of the nation’s commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement signed to reduce carbon emissions and climate change impacts.
The findings revealed that the project significantly reduced air pollution and noise pollution in the market but for other grey areas identified.
Otu explained that the Technical Adviser to the REA MD Mohammed Jibril and another colleague would lead the visit across the markets in the country.
“When we saw the story, the idea was to play a proactive role, even though it is a private sector-driven initiative and we had also interviewed one of those companies which is Rensource. We felt the need to play a proactive role because of the kind of MD we have.”
The REA MD Ahmad Salihijo, according to Otu, already placed everyone on standby.
He clarified that the EEI was not part of the National Electrification Project (NEP), but the NEP was also managed by the agency.
Other sources in the agency disclosed that about 150 projects in various markets were being audited.
Olugbenga heads the Investigations Desk at The ICIR. Do you have a scoop? Shoot him an email at [email protected]. Twitter Handle: @OluAdanikin