By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
The Nigerian Rural and Electrification Agency (REA) has stated that it is implementing the Productive Use Equipment, PUE, component of the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) under the African Development Bank funding stream.
Productive use equipment refers to electrical equipment and appliances that are used for income-generating activities like lighting, energy for Agriculture, solar cooling, ice-making in green mini-grid systems, or other productive purposes.
The PUE programme encourages the use of low-cost productive appliances in unserved and underserved communities to improve rural productivity, economic growth and also rural development, a statement from the agency on Sunday said.
The REA, through its Nigeria Electrification Project, NEP, aims to provide 24,500 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME, with energy-efficient productive use appliances, while ensuring that 1,050,000 people have improved access to energy services, it added.
Speaking during the grant agreement signing of the Productive Use Equipment and Appliances, the Managing Director of the REA, Mr Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, disclosed that with support from the African Development Bank Group, PUE will drive the sustainability of off-grid energy infrastructure across communities in the country.
He said, “We are here for the grant agreement signing for the productive use of appliances component of the Nigeria Electrification Project under the African Development Bank funding stream.
“At REA, our mandate is to provide access to electricity to unserved and underserved households and medium and small scale enterprises (MSMEs) in rural communities of Nigeria. The agency from inception has continued to encourage and support private-sector participation in our dedication and commitment to achieving this mandate.
“Beyond keeping the lights on, we are very deliberate about the optimisation of productive use equipment and appliances to catalyse socio-economic development in off-grid communities.
“We understand how important it is for beneficiaries of off-grid technologies to appreciate the windows of possibilities sustainable energy presents. This is why this component is very important.
“Through the REA, the Nigeria Electrification Project which is funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank was established to increase access to electricity services to unserved and underserved households, micro, MSMEs in the rural communities as well as Federal Universities and Teaching Hospitals throughout Nigeria.”
He added, “Today’s event marks a milestone in the implementation of the African Development Bank funded Nigeria Electrification Project where Energy Access Companies (EACs) are supported through the energy efficient productive use subsidy program to encourage the use of low-cost productive use appliances at unserved and underserved communities in order to improve rural productivity, economic growth, and also rural employment.
“I would like to use this opportunity to appreciate the energy access companies for their continuous cooperation. I urge you all to align fully with the impactful objectives of this programme in order to achieve transformative change.
“We have achieved a lot through the NEP but you will agree with me that there is so much more to be done, and we must continue to push forth to achieve our objectives.”