Zamfara State is targeting more than 125,000 electricity connections through 37 solar mini-grid projects across seven local government areas, as the state moves to expand power access and attract private investment into its electricity market.
The Rural Electrification Agency said the projects would provide about 18.8 megawatts-peak of solar generation capacity and reach an estimated 625,000 people.
The development comprises two interconnected and 35 isolated mini-grids in Gummi, Gusau, Kaura Namoda, Maradun, Shinkafi, Tsafe and Zurmi local government areas.
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The agency disclosed this in a statement on Thursday following the groundbreaking ceremony held on Wednesday, which also featured the unveiling of the Zamfara State Electricity Policy.
The policy is expected to establish a framework for private investment and the development of a state electricity market under the Electricity Act 2023.
Governor Dauda Lawal said the initiative was part of efforts to build a sustainable electricity system capable of supporting economic growth.
“Reliable electricity is indispensable to agricultural transformation, industrial development, healthcare delivery, education and job creation,” he said.
The governor also announced a collaboration agreement with the REA to solarise public institutions, including hospitals, schools and other critical government facilities.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the projects reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to decentralised electricity infrastructure and greater state participation in power market development.
He said the Electricity Act 2023 had created opportunities for states to establish their electricity markets, adding that the Federal Government would support those seeking to attract private investment.
“Electricity must do more than illuminate homes. It must power hospitals, strengthen educational institutions, support agricultural productivity, enable businesses and improve the quality of public services,” Tegbe said.
The REA Managing Director, Abba Aliyu, described the intervention as a shift from isolated electricity projects to an integrated energy market supported by infrastructure, policy reforms and private-sector investment.
He said the economic impact of the planned 125,106 connections would extend beyond household access to include business productivity, job creation and improved public services.
“The real economic significance of 125,106 electricity connections is not simply the number of households that may receive power. It is the number of businesses that can become productive,” Aliyu said.
He, however, warned that infrastructure alone would not guarantee a sustainable electricity market without clear policies, effective regulation and commercially viable tariffs.
Aliyu linked the projects to the $750m World Bank-supported Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up programme, which aims to provide electricity access to about 17.5 million Nigerians through mini-grids and other renewable energy solutions.
At the event, Tegbe also commissioned two solar mini-grid projects developed by the state government: a 1MW facility at Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital and a 1.2MW installation serving the Government House.
The two projects have a combined generation capacity of 2.2MW and more than 3MW of battery storage.
The state also unveiled 100 ZamTaxi electric vehicles, 10 electric tricycles for maternal healthcare transportation and two compressed natural gas buses donated by the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas.
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