Mini-grids are the new backbone of Nigeria’s energy resilience — REA MD

The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu, has asserted that mini-grids have evolved into a critical resilience infrastructure for Nigeria, providing a dependable alternative to the national grid during system disruptions.

Speaking during a panel session titled “Reliable, Sustainable & Inclusive Power for Africa’s Future” at the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES), Aliyu explained that the agency’s strategy now prioritizes interconnected mini-grids specifically designed to ensure reliability in underserved areas.

According to the MD, these systems are equipped with integrated battery storage to act as a fail-safe.

“The deployment strategy spans both isolated mini-grids for completely unserved communities and interconnected mini-grids designed for underserved areas, with integrated battery storage to enhance system reliability and provide backup supply during grid disruptions,” Aliyu stated.

He further noted that the REA is moving decisively from policy to large-scale implementation, with over 1,000 mini-grids currently at various stages of development.

These projects are engineered to function as decentralized power hubs, insulating economic clusters and public institutions from the instabilities of the broader national power ecosystem.

Highlighting the impact on public infrastructure, Aliyu pointed to the ongoing development of hybrid power projects at several major universities.

These include an 8-megawatt floating solar project at the University of Lagos and similar resilient power installations at the University of Port Harcourt, University of Maiduguri, Obafemi Awolowo University, and Ahmadu Bello University.

“The MD emphasised that mini-grids are increasingly being deployed as resilience infrastructure, powering economic clusters, social services and critical zones, while strengthening the broader national power ecosystem,” the agency noted in a summary of the session.

With a target to connect over 17.5 million Nigerians through this pipeline, the REA chief maintained that the focus has shifted toward institutional sustainability and ensuring that healthcare, education, and commerce remain productive through consistent, uninterrupted energy supply.