About 1,800 households and businesses in Oke-Oyi, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, are set to gain access to more reliable electricity following the inauguration of a 581kWp solar mini-grid backed by a 1.4MW battery storage system.
The battery storage component is designed to extend power supply beyond daylight hours, allowing the interconnected mini-grid to continue serving the community at night and addressing one of the major limitations of solar-based electricity systems.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe commissioned the project in Oke-Oyi under the Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (IMAS), with support from the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), the European Union, the German government through GIZ and other development partners, including UNICEF.
The project is part of efforts by the Federal Government to expand electricity access beyond urban centres and use decentralised renewable energy systems to support communities that face unreliable conventional power supply.
Tegbe said the project demonstrated how public funding and international partnerships could be used to attract private investment into electricity infrastructure while creating commercially sustainable mini-grid systems.
He said the IMAS model was designed to establish clear market rules and reduce dependence on perpetual government subsidies.
Tegbe urged residents to protect the mini-grid and its equipment from vandalism, warning that damage to the infrastructure could undermine the benefits of the investment.
“As we energize this community, we are also energizing businesses, creating opportunities, empowering young people, improving livelihoods, and building a more resilient future for Nigeria,” the Minister said.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) said Oke-Oyi showed how interconnected mini-grids could combine renewable energy with existing distribution networks to improve electricity supply while creating opportunities for private investment and local economic activity.
He said the agency would focus on expanding the model through improved financing, regulatory and institutional frameworks, while ensuring the systems remained commercially viable, properly maintained and supported by the communities they serve.
The project was delivered with the participation of the Federal Ministry of Power, Kwara State Government, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited, alongside the development partners.
Representing Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, linked improved electricity supply to efforts to reduce rural-urban migration.
“As the Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly and being from a rural area, we understand the importance of electricity in taming rural-urban migration,” he said.
The Oke-Oyi project adds to the Federal Government’s ongoing rural and off-grid electrification efforts, with the focus on expanding access to electricity while increasing the use of renewable energy and strengthening energy security.