OKE-OYI, Kwara State — The Federal Government has commissioned a 581kWp interconnected solar mini-grid in Oke-Oyi, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, expanding electricity access to an estimated 13,000 residents and supporting a growing cluster of small businesses.
The project, delivered by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under its Rural Electrification Fund–Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (REF-IMAS), was developed by Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited with support from German Cooperation and the European Union through GIZ.
The installation comprises 1,336 solar panels and 84 batteries, supported by about 10 kilometres of distribution cables and transformers integrated into the local electricity distribution network.
The project is connected to the network of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), providing electricity to residential customers as well as productive users.
Beyond expanding electricity access, the intervention is already changing the economic profile of Oke-Oyi, with new businesses emerging around the availability of more reliable power.
According to project information, the community now has 12 welding businesses, two pure-water companies, four grain mills, four aluminium-artisan businesses, an ice-block producer and a cold-room/ice-fish depot.
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 generated additional employment for local residents, including painters, welders, bricklayers, iron benders, tilers, plumbers, borehole diggers and excavation workers.
Representing the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, at the commissioning, the state government described improved electricity access as an important enabler of enterprise, employment and community development.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the project demonstrated that electrification should be measured by its economic and social impact rather than infrastructure delivery alone.
“The purpose of electrification is ultimately to improve lives and create opportunities,” Tegbe said.
He said the emergence and expansion of businesses such as welding workshops and grain mills demonstrated the direct link between electricity supply and local economic activity.
The minister also stressed the need to sustain completed electricity infrastructure so that the benefits of the investment could be maintained over the long term.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, said the Oke-Oyi project reflected the agency’s focus on ensuring that electrification investments translate into measurable economic benefits.
“The real measure of an electrification project is not only the infrastructure we commission, but the opportunities that reliable electricity creates for the people who use it,” Aliyu said.
He noted that new businesses were already emerging in Oke-Oyi while productive activities were expanding, adding that sustainability would remain a key consideration beyond commissioning.
The Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Dr Karin Jansen, said the project demonstrated the potential of partnerships involving government, development agencies, utilities, private-sector developers and local communities.
She commended the Federal Ministry of Power, REA, Kwara State Government, IBEDC, Nayo Tropical Technologies, the European Union, GIZ and the Oke-Oyi community for their roles in delivering the project.
Jansen said the experience from Oke-Oyi could provide useful lessons for the development of future interconnected mini-grids and other distributed-energy solutions across Nigeria.
IBEDC’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer said the integration of the mini-grid into the distribution network demonstrated the value of collaboration between distribution companies, REA, private developers and development partners.
The company said it would continue working with REA and other stakeholders to ensure that the investment delivers sustained improvements in electricity services.
The Oke-Oyi community leadership also pledged to protect the infrastructure, describing reliable electricity as critical to improving livelihoods and expanding economic activity.
The project is part of the Federal Government’s broader rural electrification programme aimed at extending electricity to unserved and underserved communities, while deploying renewable-energy solutions to support economic and social development.
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