Nigeria and Egypt have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, with a focus on renewable energy development and rural electrification.
The collaboration is aimed at enhancing energy access, leveraging technological expertise and accelerating the transition to cleaner energy sources in both countries.
Relatedly, the Kogi State Electricity Regulatory Commission has officially taken over the regulation of the state’s electricity sector. The Federal Government had reiterated its dedication to rural development through improved electricity access, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which underscores electricity as a fundamental right of all Nigerians.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, made this known during a meeting with the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mohammed Fouad, in Abuja with discussions centred on strengthening bilateral cooperation in energy expansion, particularly in renewable energy and rural electrification.
Adelabu highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to connect remote rural areas to electricity, emphasising the economic constraints of extending the national grid to these regions.
“Many rural areas cannot be connected to the national grid due to economic constraints, but we cannot neglect them. Through our renewable energy programme, we are bridging this gap. We have secured significant investments, including $750 million from the World Bank’s DARES project and $190 million from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to support this initiative,” he said.
He emphasised Nigeria’s abundant renewable energy resources, including solar, wind and hydroelectric potential, reaffirming the government’s determination to harness these resources for sustainable energy access.
Fouad expressed Egypt’s commitment to strengthening energy ties with Nigeria, particularly in closing the metering gap and sharing best practices in energy access.
“Nigeria and Egypt have much in common, and there is immense potential for collaboration in the energy sector. We are committed to working together to achieve sustainable energy solutions for both countries,” Fouad said.
While commending Nigeria’s commitment to expanding electricity access, he noted Egypt’s renewable energy expansion goals, stating that Egypt was working towards increasing its renewable energy from the present 14 per cent to 42 per cent and that Nigeria’s experience would be invaluable to his country.
Special Adviser to the Kogi Governor on Media, Ismail lsah, in a statement to newsmen in Lokoja, yesterday, disclosed: “Under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Ododo, the state has leveraged the amended Electricity Act 2023 to take full control of its power sector, reducing reliance on the regulatory and distribution framework of the old order in Nigeria.
“As part of this reform, the state government has also established its own power distribution company, Kogi Electricity Distribution Limited (KEDL), a subsidiary company of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), to oversee electricity distribution across the state,” he said.
According to him, with this development, Kogi joins the ranks of states like Lagos, Enugu, Niger and Kano that have taken charge of their electricity generation and distribution.”