Bauchi Governor Seeks Renewable Energy Investment as State Expands Electricity Access
Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
The Bauchi State Government has expressed readiness to partner the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to strengthen electricity access in rural areas, attract investment, and enhance industrial growth across the state.
Governor Bala Mohammed, who made the commitment at the REA State-by-State Roundtable Engagement with the state held in Abuja, yesterday, said effective governance required strategic collaboration that could deliver tangible development to rural communities.
Mohammed explained that the state, being a gateway between major geopolitical zones, offered an environment conducive for renewable energy expansion and economic diversification, stressing commitment to expanding power access as a key driver of business growth and improved livelihoods.
In his presentation, Secretary to the State Government(SSG), Alhaji Aminu Hammayo, who highlighted ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive state electricity policy that would establish a regulatory framework and a rural electrification agency, revealed that the state was also working to increase budgetary allocation to the energy sector and establish a Bauchi Energy Academy for youth training and job creation.
Hammayo further explained that Bauchi has geothermal and other renewable energy potential in strategic areas that couldbe harnessed to support industrial and commercial activities.
In their separate presentations, the Managing Director of REA, Dr. Abba Aliyu, and the Executive Director, Hon. Doris Uboh, said the roundtable engagement was organised to connect Bauchi to private renewable energy developers, who have collectively mobilised over two billion dollars and deployed more than 500 mini-grids nationwide.
They stated that under the project model, REA wouldprovide 60 per cent of funding while the state contributed 40 per cent expected to increase Bauchi’s current 22 mini-grid projects to over 100, supply 2.5 megawatts of electricity to 25 communities, improve security, and expand income opportunities.
The event featured the signing of Memoranda of Understanding between the Bauchi State Government and the management of the Rural Electrification Agency.
