The Governments of Adamawa and Kaduna States have officially issued Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) for mini-grid project sites being developed by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). The approval serves as a bold and commendable step toward accelerating energy access and renewable energy deployment within their respective states.
The mini-grid project sites are being developed under the Rural Electrification Agency’s (REA) Minimum Subsidy Tender (MST) program. The approvals, granted within hours of engagements with the Managing Director/CEO of the REA, Dr. Abba Aliyu, underscore a commitment by both state governments to enabling infrastructure deployment, supporting private sector participation, and removing the administrative bottlenecks that often delay project implementation.
Speaking on the development, the Managing Director/CEO of the REA commended both governors for their exceptional responsiveness and proactive leadership, noting that such decisive actions send a powerful signal to investors, developers, and financing institutions about the readiness of states to support large-scale electrification projects.
The MST program is a key deployment framework under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), designed to accelerate electrification in pre-selected, underserved communities with strong economic growth potential through a competitive, private sector-led tender process.
Under this framework, communities are identified, verified, and sensitised by the REA, while developers compete for the capital grant support required to deploy sustainable mini-grid infrastructure. The program is being rolled out in phases, with the first phase prioritising over 163 sites across multiple states, including Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Cross River, Kano, Niger, Ondo, Ogun, Plateau, and Kebbi.
To improve operational efficiency, encourage economies of scale, and strengthen long-term sustainability, sites are packaged into state-based lots. Collectively, the program is expected to deploy approximately 213.436 MWp of solar PV capacity across participating communities.
In Adamawa State, Certificates of Occupancy were issued for three major interconnected mini-grid sites currently under development. These include Kofare in Yola South LGA, which features 19,220 projected connections and an 8.0 MWp solar capacity; Mbamba in Yola South LGA, with 2,282 projected connections and a 0.8 MWp capacity; and Saminaka in Fufore LGA, offering 4,660 projected connections and a 2.5 MWp capacity.
In Kaduna State, land titles were secured for the Trapco site in Chikun LGA, which targets 3,100 projected connections with a 2.0 MWp capacity, and the Makarfi 1 site in Makarfi LGA, aiming for 4,000 projected connections with a 4.0 MWp capacity.