The Economic Community of West African States Commission has announced plans to invest $380m in electrifying public schools and health centres across 18 countries, including Nigeria, Benin, Chad, and other nations in West Africa and the Sahel region.
The project aims to address the chronic lack of electricity access, which affects over 208 million people in the region, particularly in rural communities.
At a stakeholder forum in Abuja on Thursday, the Senior Adviser on the Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project at the ECOWAS Commission, El hadji Sylla, outlined the goals of the initiative, which is funded by the World Bank, the Clean Technology Fund, and the Dutch government.
Sylla explained that the project aims to increase electricity access in rural areas by focusing on off-grid solutions for essential public services.
“The cost of the project is $ 380 million, and we want to promote a new innovative chain to electrify public institutions. Our target is to electrify schools and health centres to improve service delivery.
“We are piloting the project in Nigeria and the Benin Republic. The project covers 15 countries in the ECOWAS region and four countries in the Sahel region,” Sylla said.
“We are targeting schools and health centres to improve service delivery,” Sylla said, adding that the project is expected to be completed in five years across all participating countries, with the pilot phase in Nigeria and Benin to be executed within 18 months.
In Nigeria, the initiative will begin with electrification projects in selected schools and health centres in the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, and Nasarawa states.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, highlighted that Nigeria’s rural electrification efforts have significantly improved through grants and subsidies.
Adelabu, represented by Engr. Bem Ayangeaor, expressed optimism that public support will increasingly attract private sector investment to the sector.
“I have no doubt that the rural electrification space in Nigeria, thanks to grants and subsidies, has grown significantly and will soon reach a stage where public support leverages private sector financing at higher efficiencies than it is presently done.
“A stage where the private sector would be more excited in investing in the electrification space because of the benefits to be gained,” Adelabu said.
The Director of Technology and Science Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Muyibat Olodo, stressed the importance of electricity for modern education, particularly for institutions focused on science and technology.
“Access to power is not a luxury in Nigeria and especially in our public institutions. There is a need for uninterrupted power supply in our schools especially those in the science and technology field.
“With proper implementation, our public institutions in the FCT, Niger, and Nasarawa states will become models of energy resilience, self-sufficiency, and sustainability,” she stated.
