Bukola Afeni
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency, Engineer Ahmad Salihijo, said the recent deployment of Mini-grid Solar power installation across the country, will boost agricultural production.
He noted that the idea behind the installation of the Mini-grid to Gurin is to provide power for processing so that Rice Miller’s dependency on petrol is reduced.
The REA boss disclosed this in Gurin, Fufore local government area, during the inspection of a 100Kw Solar Mini-grid power plant, built by the agency through a private developer Cloud energy photoelectric limited.
He further noted similar project in the North East geopolitical zone has seen five other communities also equipped with 100Kw Solar Mini-grid systems.
” Gurin is a hub for Rice milling. The idea is to provide power for the Rice processors so that their dependency on Petrol is reduced. In other zones, we have targeted areas where there’s community farming, especially around fishing as well as in border areas where there are a lot of economic activities.
“The system is designed to prioritize productive users, including agro-processing businesses, homes and public spaces. The key is to ensure that this project goes to communities that have existing economic activities so that they can afford and use the power.
Barka Sajou, Executive Director of Technical Services, REA, was among the staff who accompanied the REA boss, on an inspection tour of the 100Kw Solar Mini-grid system and other projects which are at various stages of completion in Adamawa.
The Executive Director of Technical Services REA, Barka Sajou, said there were a total of 40 isolated power distribution systems, alone in Adamawa, targeted at rural communities, where the predominant activity is agriculture.
” The focus of the project is to improve the agricultural process and boost food production”, he said.
The Chairman of the Rice Millers, Sani Gurin, said the power installation has addressed the power challenge experienced by the Rice Millers.
He requested the expansion of the solar Mini-grid to a 300Kw capacity system to help accommodate more millers who want to be connected to the grid.
The project, in Gurin, a big agricultural community, in terms, of Rice processing, is, one out of 6 other similar solar-powered installation systems provided by REA under its Mass Electrification for Poverty Reduction Programme, to support productive enterprise around agricultural clusters.
