Nigeria’s Rural Electricity Agency, Energy Expert Synergize to Combat Food Insecurity
The groundbreaking partnership aims to deploy solar irrigation systems across 200,000 hectares of farmland nationwide over the next four years, leveraging on the REA’s Productive Use of Equipment (PUE) framework.
According to a joint statement by REA’s chief executive and Abba Abubakar Aliyu managing director of an energy firm, the initiative is expected to increase grain and crop production by an impressive 1.2 million tons annually.
Moreover, the project will replace traditional fossil fuel-powered irrigation pumps with clean energy alternatives, saving an estimated N413 billion in fossil fuel purchase by the farmers, and dislodging 412,800 cubic meters of fossil fuels.
REA’s Managing Director, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, highlighted the alignment of this partnership with the government’s broader efforts to end food shortages and promote sustainable development by harnessing solar energy for agriculture for farmers, the environment and the nation.
This partnership comes in the wake of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent reaffirmation of his administration’s commitment to addressing food security concerns and reducing the cost of living for Nigerians.