News
AfDB to Provide Underserved Communities in Nigeria with Sustainable Energy solutions
The African Development Bank and the Government of Nigeria have launched the National Electrification Project (NEP), to address critical energy access deficits by channeling private sector investments into mini grid and off-grid solutions.
The project, which will be implemented by Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency, is a boost to efforts to achieve the target of universal energy access by 2030.
Joint financing of $200 million from the Bank and Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF) will de-risk and scale-up private sector investment in the off-grid sector, nurturing a business ecosystem conducive to the rapid electrification of Nigeria’s off-grid communities.
Speaking at the launch, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Power, Mr. Goddy Jedy Agba, thanked the African Development Bank for investing in the project, and highlighted its transformative potential.
“Imagine the impact a project like the NEP will have when it is replicated across rural communities in the country,” he said.
Wale Shonibare, Bank’s Acting Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth, outlined the expected development outcomes of the project.
“Over 500,000 people will have access to approximately 76.5 MW of increased installed power of which 68 MW will be solar generated,” he said.
Eight universities will have access to reliable energy, he added, and 150 female students will receive training on renewable energy solutions. In addition, 20,000 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) will be supplied with appliances and equipment.
Ebrima Faal, Senior Director for the African Development Bank in Nigeria, said the NEP and other Bank-supported energy projects had been carefully designed to ensure that Nigerians have better access to reliable, affordable and safe power.
The NEP is aligned with the African Development Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa the High 5 priorities and the Bank’s Climate Change Action Plan. The project is also aligned with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan (RESIP) and the Power Sector Recovery Programme, which has the objective of increasing private investments in the energy sector.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Mrs Joy Enwa, the Accountant General of Delta State, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of N1.3 trillion linked to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
The EFCC is investigating funds reportedly diverted from the 13 percent derivation allocation intended for oil-producing states. Alongside Mrs Enwa, the anti-graft agency has questioned other officials, including a former Director of Finance and Administration and a senior Government House staff member.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed the arrest, stating, “Mrs Enwa was detained for questioning over the ongoing investigation into the mismanagement of state funds under the former administration. Some other government officials have also been interrogated.”
Mrs Enwa, who was appointed Accountant General by Okowa in 2020, previously served as Deputy Accountant General under Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.
She had earlier faced allegations of involvement in a N369 million fraud case in 2015, which implicated other state officials and bank representatives.
The ongoing investigation has also uncovered assets allegedly tied to the fraud, including shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Company and investments in the oil sector.
Former Governor Okowa was detained by the EFCC in November at the agency’s Port Harcourt office over accusations of diverting state funds for personal enrichment.
When approached for comments, Mrs Enwa declined to elaborate, saying, “I am not the right source to confirm this story. Please contact the EFCC for clarification.” The EFCC continues its probe into what could be one of the largest financial scandals in Delta State’s history.
Nigeria has launched an emergency response centre after recording 190 deaths from Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic illness, according to Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
The disease, mainly transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or excrement, has infected 1,154 people in six Nigerian states.
Jide Idris, head, Nigerian Center for Disease Control, said the agency’s risk assessment has categorized it as high, prompting the activation of the emergency Operations Centre to manage the outbreak.
“While the disease occurs throughout the year, peak transmission typically happens between October and May, coinciding with the dry season when human exposure to rodents increases,” he said at a press briefing in Abuja.
The centre will ensure seamless coordination of the control and management of the outbreak.
Symptoms of the virus – which can also be passed between people through bodily fluids of those infected – include fever, headaches and, in the most severe cases, death.
The World Health Organization classifies Lassa fever as a priority disease due to its epidemic potential and lack of approved vaccines.
Federal government has proposed to spend N1.5bn for internet services for passengers at five international airports in the country.
The project, “Provision/Upgrade of WiFi Services for Passengers in Five International Airports and some Domestic Airports” was listed as a new project in the 2025 appropriation.
In some parts of the world, access to the internet via Wi-Fi at airports is regarded to be a basic human right.
Such amenities are lacking in Nigeria.
But the 2025 budget presented to the National Assembly last week by President Bola Tinubu saw the sum of N105.953,496,365 being allocated to the Ministry of Aviation.
Apart from internet access at the airports, some other capital allocations were reinstated for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
In previous budgets, three agencies of the ministry including the apex regulatory agency, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and NAMA were exempted from the annual budgetary allocation.
In addition, the federal government deducts 50 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which is against the standard and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which recommends that the funds generated by the agencies should be reinvested into improving infrastructure and boosting aviation safety.
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