The Federal Government, on Tuesday, hinted that it would enter into partnership to build local solar assemblies in the country.
This is even as it has disclosed plans to carry out a 20,000 units of solar home system to provide electricity in the 19 Northern states over the next 12 months.
Speaking during the flag off ceremony of the project at Wuna community in the Gwagwalada Area Council in Abuja, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, revealed that the Federal Government is planning to partner with the Azuri Technologies to actualise.
“We have noted that this particular area is supposed to be the industrial zone of the FCT (Federal Capital Territory), and we think we can deploy off grid capacities here so that this place can benefit from what it was originally designed to be-that is industrial city.
“It is a job creation opportunity. It is also an opportunity to improve the technology awareness and skills of young. People in this community are like every other people of Nigeria. They are very hardworking and serious minded people. But they are lacking in very important facilities to make life easier for them.
“More deployments would provide jobs in the rural areas. Nigeria is committed to improve accessibility to power, especially solar power for the people.
“The technology is not sophisticated for us, and that is why we are going to put a lot of pressure on Azuri Technologies to begin local assembly of all of these solar equipments here. We think we have the capacities to do it. We think we can do whatever it takes to be able to manufacture solar technology here in Wuna within the shortest possible time,” Osinbajo said.
The project will be extended to 70 percent of Nigerians that are not connected to the national grid.
This is a joint venture that will be executed by the duo of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and Azuri Technologies.
Speaking on the launch of NDPHC programme for solar home systems tagged: beyond the grid, the Managing Director of NDPHC, Chiedu Ugbo, said that his company is actively involved in the initiative.
“Let me state at this point that NDPHC is actively involved in the presidential initiative on rural solar home lighting systems where 20,000 units of solar home systems in under-served rural areas with no access to grid electricity supply is being implemented,” Ugbo said.
In his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of Azuri Technologies, Simon Christopher John Bransfield-Garth, said that the project will create hundreds of jobs.
“The deployment of 20,000 Azuri solar home systems is expected to create 500 direct jobs, including solar installer and agents (for a minimum of 24 months) and 5,000 indirect jobs.
“Following this launch, Azuri plans to start a phased rollout in Northern Nigeria, followed by a nationwide deployment, targeting the 70 million Nigerians living in off-grid communities with clean, sustainable and reliable solar home solutions.
“Nigeria’s commitment to increasing its renewable energy mix marks an opportunity for a reliable solar alternative to address the challenges of energy access. Azuri is delighted to be working with NDPHC and the government of Nigeria for solar home systems to meet the immediate power requirements of rural communities,” Bransfield-Garth said.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Adamu Mustapha Danze, said that the solar launch will have positive impacts in the lives of his people.
“This launch today will go a long way to improve the socio-economy of the Wuna people. It will have positive impacts in their lives. Gwagwalada is in the Master Plan of the FCT as the industrial zone; hence, the need for electricity,” he said.
Azuri Technologies is a leading commercial provider of PayGo solar home systems to rural off-grid communities, combining solar and mobile technology to allow customers to access power on a pay-as-you-go basis.
NDPHC is incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act as a private limited liability company.
It is fully subscribed to by federal, state and local governments with a mandate to manage the power projects tagged ‘National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP)’, an emergency intervention scheme to tackle the power problem in the country.
