By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has received equipment worth over N230 million from Huawei Technologies Co., Limited to support the detection of fake and substandard components used in solar-powered mini-grids across Nigeria.

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Abuja over the weekend, the Managing Director/CEO of REA, Engr. Abba Aliyu, said the equipment will be used to establish a Mini-Grid Standardization and Simulation Centre.

According to Aliyu, the donation is a direct outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between REA and Huawei during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s official visit to China last year.

He explained that the centre will help screen out substandard equipment—such as photovoltaic panels and batteries—flooding the renewable energy sector, a move expected to stimulate investment in local manufacturing by curbing the influx of cheap and poor-quality imports.

“I am happy to say that today we are witnessing the fulfillment of the commitments made under that memorandum of understanding. The importance of this mini-grid standardization and simulation centre cannot be overemphasised,” Aliyu said.

He added: “Nigeria is working towards positioning itself as Africa’s renewable energy hub. To achieve this, the country must attract private sector investment in the manufacturing and assembly of renewable energy equipment. But one of the biggest threats is the continued proliferation of substandard and used components entering the market.”

“Private sector will require the assurance and the confidence that if they put in their money and build a manufacturing outfit in the manufacturing of photovoltaic panels or assembly of that, they would not be competing with people that import second-hand or substandard PV panels.

“To address that, the REA sought the support of Huawei and the Chinese government for the development of this simulation and standardisation centre. This centre will help REA to sieve out all substandard and second-hand equipment, be it the PV panels or batteries,” he added.

He listed some of the 18 equipment donated by Huawei as: Power analyser, multimeter, electronic load, AFCI generator, DC power, pyranometer, handler pyranometer, battery analyser, micrometer, screw gauge, barrier caliper, tool kit, computers, idea hub, and printers, among others.

According to him, some of the equipment that Huawei provided to REA were first of their kind in the country, showing the level of commitment Huawei and the Chinese government have towards supporting REA to address the electricity access challenge in Nigeria.

What we are going to use this testing and simulation centre for is for us to certify the vendors that we will be using. The country is experiencing an influx of substandard or used equipment. We need to get rid of that for us to catalyse investment into the country.

“So, we are going to use this testing and simulation centre to certify vendors that have met the standard of REA for us to continue to buy their equipment and make use of it in the country. That is one. We are also going to use this to ensure the sustainability of our mini-grids infrastructure across the country,” Aliyu added.

Earlier, the Board Director, Huawei Nigeria, Zhang Jing said the equipment will help improve Nigeria’s power infrastructure – ensuring renewable energy across the country is reliable and efficient.

“They have been designed to handle different environmental challenges and withstand extreme weather conditions. Huawei is very delighted to partner with REA on this great initiative and milestone to make Nigeria have a more sustainable and secure energy future”, he added.