About half of Nigeria’s 180 million people have no access to electricity supply according to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.
Fashola disclosed this at the annual international conference of the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL), University of Ibadan. He said: “Africans have trillions standard cubic feet (SCFs) of natural gas reserves, billions of barrels of crude oil reserves and billions of tonnes of coal.
In spite of Africa having an abundance of renewable energy resources, it, unfortunately, accounts for half of the world 1.5 billion people estimated to lack electricity supply, with Nigeria alone estimated to have over 90 million people living without electricity supply, according to the World Bank.
To improve electricity in Nigeria, Fashola said the “Federal Government is implementing off-grid renewable energy solutions such as rural mini-grids, standalone home solutions, IPP for federal universities, teaching hospitals and large-scale solar PV projects such as the Jigawa solar city.
“In 2018, we are making efforts to complete and commission the following renewable energy projects: 10 MW Katsina wind farm, 30MW Gurara Hydro Power, 29MW Dadin Kowa Hydropower and 40MW Kashimbila Hydropower, 700MW Zungeru Hydro Power and the 14 Solar IPP.”
The minister was represented by the Acting Director, Renewable and Rural Power Access Development, Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Faruk Yabo
