The USaid Power Africa project has added 30,000 new solar connections in Nigeria.
Also:Power Africa initiative begins to bear fruits in Kenya
The U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington said in a statement in Abuja.
U.S via its Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) had in 2016 signed an agreement with Lumos, an off-grid electricity supplier to improve provision of solar electricity to households and small businesses all over Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lumos was also a beneficiary of catalytic funding through OPIC and the Africa Clean Energy Finance initiative, an associate with the U.S. State Department.
The financial support offers vital start-up resources for 30 innovative clean energy projects across 10 African nations.
The emissary, accompanied by the Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission, Mr. Michael Harvey, stressed the need to increase electricity access in Nigeria.
“With market intellect provided by USAID and funding offered by OPIC, Lumos has added 30,000 new solar connections in Nigeria since the start of the joint venture,” he said.
The ambassador repeatedly stressed the need to increase on and off grid access to energy to boost business activities.
“Increasing both on and off grid access to energy will not only aid people and businesses, but will also assist in overcoming some of the difficulties to Nigeria being able to accomplish its full economic potential.
“I met a number of people today whose lives have been greatly altered by access to efficient and reliable energy.
“And I am thrilled to see this current partnership expand to make certain that there is better access to solar energy all over Nigeria,” he said.
NAN reported that, “Power Africa”, has rallied 40 billion dollars in private sector commitments in order to boost access to electricity through both on and off grid production and distribution projects across sub-Saharan Africa.
