Nasarawa State Government has begun engagements to develop an Off-Grid Electricity Policy and Action Plan that will ensure the provision of cleaner energy sources in the state.
Dr Emmanuel Akabe, the state’s Deputy Governor, declared open a stakeholders’ technical workshop in collaboration with the Nigeria Off-Grid Market Acceleration Programme (NOMAP), to brainstorm towards developing an inclusive plan and policy for the state, on Thursday, February 8, 2024, in Lafia, the state capital.
Akabe said that the Gov. Abdullahi Sule administration was committed to improving the energy sector to encourage the establishment of industries in line with its industrialisation agenda.
He said that the government was looking forward to an implementable off-grid plan that would solve the electricity needs of the state, especially through the provision of cleaner energy sources.
In his remarks, Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Managing Director, Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA), said the action plan would make the off-grid electricity sector of the state more attractive for private investments.
Also speaking, Engr. Yakubu Suleiman, General Manager, Nasarawa State Electricity Power Agency (NAEPA), said that the policy would ensure the regulation of electricity generation, distribution and transmission, and facilitate the development of the state.
Mr Adedotun Eyinade, Programme Director of NOMAP, during his presentation, pointed out that the policy aims to boost the delivery of clean electricity access to unserved and underserved communities in Nasarawa state.
He also said that it would unlock the economic potential of Nasarawa in line with the industrialisation agenda of the state government.
Eyinade said that the new Electricity Act 2023, empowers states to make laws that would govern electricity access, adding that the partnership between Nasarawa State and NOMAP was geared towards improving the state’s regulation of the energy sector.
The state government had in December 2023 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NOMAP to develop an off-grid electricity policy for the state.
By Oboh Linus
