AI driven data has saved Nigeria over $100m — REA MD

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Dr. Abba Aliyu, has disclosed that advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence technology has saved Nigeria over $100 million in public funds while expanding electricity access to underserved communities nationwide.

Dr. Aliyu made the remarks in Abuja during the renewal of the agency’s partners with German technology firm VIDA.place GmbH, represented by its CEO, Dr. Tobias Engelmeier.

The ceremony coincided with the official visit of German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Johann Wadephul, as both nations deepened their long-standing partnership on sustainable energy and digital innovation.

Highlighting the benefits of integrating data-driven technology into public infrastructure planning, Dr. Aliyu emphasized that digital tools are transforming how energy projects are conceptualized and deployed across the country.

“One of the things I am particularly proud of is that this approach has not only improved transparency and planning, but has also helped save over US$100 million in public funds while giving private sector developers the confidence to invest where it matters most.”

“For me, this is what innovation in public service should look like, not technology for its own sake, but technology that helps us connect more Nigerians to reliable electricity, faster and more efficiently,” Aliyu said.

He expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Power, the Government of Germany, VIDA, the World Bank, and other international development partners for their sustained collaboration in building a resilient energy framework for Nigeria.

The partnership aligns directly with Nigeria’s National Energy Compact under the global Mission 300 initiative, which targets universal electricity access by 2030.

As the premier agency for Nigeria’s off-grid transformation, the REA has already facilitated electricity access for over 4.5 million citizens marking one of the fastest decentralisation programs globally.

Under the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) Programme, the analytics and geospatial mapping platform provided by VIDA enables the REA and the World Bank to optimize subsidy allocations and pinpoint unserved locations with high precision.