News in brief:
– Olu Verheijen advocated for scaling renewable energy solutions in Nigeria to improve rural livelihoods and address energy challenges.
– She highlighted a successful solar mini-grid project in Plateau State that brought significant economic benefits to the local community.
Olu Verheijen, the Special Adviser (SA) to the President on Energy, highlighted the improvements that a 234 kWp Solar Mini-grid brought to a rice farming village in Plateau State.
She made this revelation during a keynote address at the Nigerian Economic Summit 30 (NES30) on Tuesday, 15 October 2024. Her speech focused on proposing solutions to energy problems in the country, especially electricity.
Themed, “Catalyzing Economic Transformation Through Scaling Renewable Energy Solutions in Deprived Climes in Nigeria,” Verheijen aimed to demonstrate how renewable energy can improve deprived regions in a sustainable way that brings about transformation.
Her speech, ironically, came on the same day that the national grid collapsed, making it a timely address. A transcript, shared to the public, included a suggestion for stakeholders in the energy sector to work on off-grid solutions.
“We also have a pressing responsibility to take into consideration the tens of millions of Nigerians who will not be touched by the grid anytime soon,” she said.
The solar mini-grid was commissioned in December 2020 under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), and Verheijen praised its impact on night life in the farming community.
“Daily life no longer has to shut down in that rural community at dusk,” she said. Additionally, it provided a cheaper source of electricity for artisans and shop owners who used to rely on diesel and petrol generators.
In terms of economic impact, the SA to the President on energy claimed that there was a sudden increase in the number of residents purchasing milling machines for paddy rice processing as well as other equipment for value-addition. The result was greater income for these small business owners and producers, she said.
This community’s transformation is evidence of the development that access to electricity brings to the livelihoods of people in rural areas.
“The challenge before us now is scaling these interventions in a way that is truly impactful nationally. Imagine the instant socio-economic impact if every remote community in Nigeria enjoyed this kind of intervention. Imagine what it would do to stem the tide of rural-urban migration. Imagine what it would do for national security, which as you all know is impacted significantly by poverty and joblessness,” she said.
Verheijen named financing, policies, and partnerships as the factors that will determine if the administration can scale these kinds of solutions. She further urged the government to not leave the drive in the hands of commercial stakeholders alone but to take responsibility in implementing transparent energy subsidies to people who are most vulnerable.
In her closing remark, she expressed optimism, claiming that there are exciting prospects ahead.
