The Adamawa state Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to promote the development of renewable energy and improve energy access across the state.
The signing ceremony which took place in Abuja on Monday, was part of the REA’s state-by-state roundtable engagement aimed at ensuring an efficient renewable energy supply across the country.
Speaking during the event, Adamawa state Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri said “Over the years, Adamawa State has witnessed significant transformation across various sectors, fuelled by strategic reforms.
“As a government, our journey towards a modern, sustainable energy future is well underway. The progressive framework established by the Electricity Act 2023, combined with our ongoing development of the state Electricity Policy, is a clear demonstration of our proactive approach. Yet, as we all know, the true strength of any policy lies in its collaborative formulation.
“While this policy is still under formulation, it provides a unique opportunity for you to also offer your valuable insights and recommendations, ensuring that it is comprehensive, innovative, and truly reflective of the needs of our energy landscape that will attract investment opportunities for the Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs).
Governor Fintiri noted that the vision behind our state’s Electricity Policy is clear to create a vibrant, investor-friendly energy ecosystem where public-private partnerships can thrive.
“We aspire to see an Adamawa state where Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) solutions power every community, where robustmini grids connect remote communities, and where our agricultural and transportation sectors are transformed by clean and sustainable energy innovations. While appreciating that there exists a huge opportunity in powering our social services delivery institutions, such as health and education with a huge population and a thriving demography that is eager for service, we can see clearly immediate, tremendous investment opportunities for RESCOs as the state is committed to extending reliable, affordable electricity to every community.
“Distributed Renewable energy solutions, such as isolated solar mini-grids, interconnected mini grids, and stand-alone systems, will bring light and power to our remote communities and underserved peri urban areas which will stimulate local economic growth, and
improve quality of life.”
The Governor assured investors that the state government will provide the necessary supports to ease their activities in the state.
He said ” to enhance the attractiveness of these investment opportunities, I am pleased to state that, we are ready to provide maximum comfort to willing investors coming into the state by providing a range of prospective financial incentives such as tax holidays, credit guarantees, concessional financing options, and grants for pilot projects. These incentives are aimed to mitigate risks and create a favorable environment for private sector investment, ensuring that Adamawa State becomes a magnet for innovative renewable energy projects. Even though the state has little or no control over import duty waivers, we aim to partner with the Federal Government to ensure reduced import duties on renewable energy equipment. I am aware a lot of effort is already been done in this direction.”
On his part, the Adamawa state Commissioner of Works and Energy Development, Hon. Adamu Atiku Abubakar said the key highlights of their economic advancement has been our Ease of Doing Business score, which improved from 5.25 in 2021 to 5.86 in 2023, resulting in +10 positions climb in the national rankings. This reflects the successful implementation of reforms aimed at reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and making Adamawa a more investor-friendly destination.
According to him they have made significant progress in terms of providing infrastructural development such good roads network,education, healthcare, and skills development, ensuring that our citizens have access to quality services in the state.
Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abba Aliyu revealed that the agency has the funding and renewable energy services expecting partnership sub nationals to enhance electricity installation and distribution in the country.
He reiterated that the new electricity act signed by President Ahmed Tinubu is geared towards promoting competition among players in the market and ensure quality power supply without interruption.
The CEO stressed the signing of the MoU with Adamawa state government will enhance more connections of power supply to rural communities in the state.
