By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

ILORIN — The Federal Government has commissioned a 581kWp interconnected solar mini-grid project to provide reliable electricity to Oke-Oyi community in Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, ending decades of erratic power supply for an estimated 13,000 residents.

The project was commissioned on Thursday through the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, under the Rural Electrification Fund-Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme, REF-IMAS, with support from development partners.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, said the project reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding electricity access and ensuring that energy investments translated into improved livelihoods and economic opportunities.

“The purpose of electrification is ultimately to improve lives and create opportunities. What we are commissioning today in Oke-Oyi is an investment in the productive capacity of the community,” Tegbe said.

He added: “When electricity enables a welder to expand his business, a grain miller to operate more efficiently or a new enterprise to emerge, we are seeing the direct connection between energy access and economic development.”

The minister also stressed the importance of sustaining completed electricity infrastructure and ensuring that the benefits of such investments were maintained over the long term.

The Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who was represented at the ceremony, welcomed the intervention, saying reliable electricity was critical to economic activities and community development.

“For Kwara State, every intervention that expands reliable electricity access to our communities is an important step towards creating a more conducive environment for enterprise, employment and improved livelihoods,” the governor said.

He commended the Federal Government, REA and other development and private-sector partners for the investment, expressing hope that the project would continue to contribute to the development of Oke-Oyi.

Also speaking, Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Dr Karin Jansen, highlighted the importance of partnerships in advancing sustainable energy access in Nigeria.

Jansen commended the Federal Ministry of Power, REA, Kwara State Government, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, Nayo Tropical Technologies, the European Union, GIZ and the Oke-Oyi community for their contributions to the project.

The project was developed by Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited with support from the German Cooperation and the European Union through GIZ.

It has a total installed capacity of 581kWp, comprising 1,336 solar panels and 84 batteries, with about 10 kilometres of distribution cables and transformers supporting the electricity network.

The project provides electricity connections to residential and productive users across the community.

Community sources said the improved electricity supply was already contributing to increased economic activity, with new businesses emerging in Oke-Oyi.

They listed 12 welding businesses, two pure water companies, four grain mills, four aluminium artisan businesses, one ice-block production business and one cold-room/ice-fish depot among businesses benefiting from the intervention.

Three electricity vendors are also operating in the community, while three additional vendors, including a female entrepreneur, are expected to be registered.

The construction phase of the project also created temporary employment opportunities for residents through the engagement of painters, welders, bricklayers, iron benders, tilers, plumbers, borehole diggers and excavation workers.