A new 80kv solar mini-grid has been inaugurated in Gudu local government area in Sokoto State, Nigeria. The solar installation will provide uninterrupted power supply to the Kurdula community, which includes around 500 households. This totals to about 4,000 residents.
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According to Aminu Tambuwal the Governor of Sokoto State, the project is a key component of his administration’s rural development initiative, the Nigerian Energy Support Programe (NESP)-which is being co-funded by the European Union and the German Government, and jointly implemented by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and the German International Development Agency.
Rural development
German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dietmar Kreusel believes that the introduction of solar mini grids will not only expand access to electricity in Kurdula, but also in other areas of the country as well.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ketil Karlsen, said that over 1.5 billion people globally lacked access to electricity. Karlsen further added that many Nigerians do not have access to cheap, affordable and steady electricity.
The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Alhaji Sulaiman Zarma, said the Federal Government was ready to work with partners on energy solutions.
The Kurdula mini grid electricity project is one of the six which are currently receiving support from Nigerian Energy Support Programme in six states of the federation.
