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The Federal Government has commissioned a 581kWp solar mini-grid backed by a 1.4MW battery energy storage system (BESS) in Oke-Oyi, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The initiative is designed to provide reliable electricity to 1,800 households and businesses.
The battery storage component is expected to significantly extend the operating hours of the mini-grid, enabling the community to access solar-generated electricity beyond daylight hours and into the night.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, who commissioned the project, said the initiative underscored the Federal Government’s drive to expand reliable electricity access to underserved communities while promoting renewable energy and private-sector participation in the power sector.
The project was delivered under the Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (IMAS), with support from the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany through GIZ and other development partners, including UNICEF.
Tegbe described the project as a model for effective international partnership in Nigeria’s power sector, saying IMAS was designed to leverage public funding to attract private investment, establish clear market rules and create commercially viable electricity projects rather than perpetuating dependence on subsidies.
“As we energise this community, we are also energising businesses, creating opportunities, empowering young people, improving livelihoods and building a more resilient future for Nigeria.”
The minister urged residents to protect the infrastructure from vandalism and criminal interference, stressing that the mini-grid was an investment designed to benefit the community and future generations.
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The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) said the Oke-Oyi project demonstrated the potential of interconnected mini-grids to combine distributed renewable energy with existing electricity distribution networks to improve supply and stimulate economic activity.
According to him, the agency would continue to scale up the model through stronger financing, regulatory and institutional frameworks, while ensuring commercial viability, effective maintenance and community ownership.
He acknowledged the contributions of the Federal Ministry of Power, Kwara State Government and development partners, as well as Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited, to the delivery of the project.
Representing Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, commended the Federal Government’s power sector reforms and their impact on communities across the state.
Danladi-Salihu said reliable electricity was particularly important to rural communities, noting that improved power supply could help create economic opportunities and reduce rural-urban migration.
“Being from a rural area, we understand the importance of electricity in taming rural-urban migration,” he said, adding that the project would help deliver tangible benefits to residents.
The Oke-Oyi project adds to the Federal Government’s growing portfolio of rural and off-grid electrification initiatives under the Renewed Hope Agenda, as it seeks to expand electricity access, strengthen energy security and increase the deployment of cleaner energy technologies across Nigeria.
