Rural Electrification Group Moves To Bridge Electricity Gap, As 85 Million Nigerians Groan In Darkness
By Abimbola Abdullah
The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) has float the Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF 2024) to foster investor’s partnership for sustainable electricity supply in Nigeria.
It has been revealed that about 85 million Nigerians, or 45% of the population, still lack access to the electricity grid.
The ARE group quoted a word bank report which stated that large disparities exist in access to electricity between urban areas (84%) and rural ones (26%).
It noted that power deficit affects households, businesses, and key public buildings, such as hospitals, with estimates that 40% of primary health centres, which mainly serve rural areas, lack enough power to conduct standard operation procedures.
The EAIF is an annual investment event for the renewable electrification sector, fostering business and investor partnerships for the purpose of sustainable electricity access, decarbonisation, economic growth and fighting against climate change.
EAIF 2024 is organised by the Alliance for Rural Electrification co-hosted by the Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS, and supported by GET.invest, a European programme mobilising investment in renewable energy, backed by the European Union, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Austria.
The Forum holds between May 21 -May 23, 2024, under the patronage of the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency.
According to the organisers, the global flagship investment event aims to bring together more than 1,000 in-person and virtual delegates, including private and public investors, industry and invited government officials.
The Nigerian Renewable Energy Day will be organised on 23 May 2024, giving Nigerian renewable energy stakeholders and international investors a unique opportunity to do business and develop partnerships.
Speakers at the forum include the Chief Technical Advisor, Government of Nigeria, Adedayo Olowoniyi; Head of Section Green & Digital Economy, EU Delegation to the Federal Republic of Nigeria & ECOWAS, Inga Stefanowicz; CEO of ARE, David Lecoque.
Others are: Special Representative for Energy in Africa, BMZ, Bärbel Höhn; Head of Division, Renewable Energy Funds, African Development Bank, João Sarmento Cunha; Cluster President Anglophone Africa, Schneider Electric, Devan Pillay, among others.
The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) is an international business association that promotes a sustainable decentralised renewable energy industry for the 21st century.
