REA Managing Director/CEO, Abba Aliyu, and Ecotech Development Nigeria Limited Managing Director, John Zhao, during the signing of a Joint Development Agreement in Abuja on Tuesday. Credit: Solomon Odeniyi
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, has disclosed that more than 85 million Nigerians, representing about 40 per cent of the country’s population, still lack reliable access to grid electricity.
This is also as the REA boss lamented Nigeria’s dependence on imported renewable energy equipment despite its abundant solar resources.
He disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the signing of a Joint Development Agreement between the agency and Ecotech Development Nigeria Limited to establish a solar panel and battery assembly and manufacturing facility in Nigeria.
Aliyu described the agreement as a major milestone in Nigeria’s renewable energy drive, saying it marked the first time a Tier-1 Chinese renewable energy company had committed to setting up manufacturing and assembly operations in the country.
