Picnews
On 16 July 2026 in Abuja, the Honourable Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, declared that rural electrification is no longer merely about extending power lines to underserved communities but about expanding opportunities, creating prosperity and enabling enterprise. Speaking at the Stakeholders’ Engagement Workshop on Productive Use of Energy (PUE), he reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s rural economy by leveraging energy as a catalyst for agricultural productivity, industrial growth and inclusive development. The workshop brought together government agencies, development partners, financiers, manufacturers, farmers’ associations and members of the diplomatic community to forge a coordinated strategy for advancing productive energy use across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
The commitment was reinforced at the Stakeholders’ Engagement Workshop on Productive Use of Energy (PUE) held in Abuja, where government institutions, financiers, development partners, manufacturers, farmers’ associations and members of the diplomatic community converged to develop a coordinated strategy for powering agricultural productivity and stimulating rural economic growth.
Declaring the workshop open, the Honourable Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, represented by the Minister of State for Power, Joseph Tegbe, stressed that rural electrification has evolved beyond simply extending electricity infrastructure to underserved communities.
According to him, the real objective is to expand economic opportunities, stimulate enterprise and create lasting prosperity by ensuring that electricity directly supports productive activities.
The Minister noted that Nigeria’s energy success should no longer be measured solely by the number of megawatts generated or households connected to the national grid. Rather, he said, electricity becomes truly transformative when it empowers farmers to cultivate more land through irrigation, enables agro-processors to increase production, supports cold storage facilities that reduce post-harvest losses, and provides young entrepreneurs with the energy needed to establish thriving agro-processing businesses within their communities.
He described the Productive Use of Energy initiative as a strategic platform that brings together the country’s energy, agriculture, industrialisation, financial inclusion, food security and employment objectives. He observed that Nigeria continues to lose enormous value between harvest and market due to inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, limited processing capacity and the high cost of energy-intensive equipment.
Highlighting the economic potential of the initiative, the Minister said the Productive Use of Energy model presents a compelling value proposition for all stakeholders. Farmers stand to benefit from lower production costs and increased productivity, financial institutions gain access to a new portfolio of bankable investments, manufacturers enjoy expanding domestic demand for productive-use technologies, while government advances rural development, food security and revenue generation.
He urged participants to leverage the workshop to strengthen collaboration and position Nigeria as Africa’s leading market for productive-use energy solutions.
In his welcome address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu, applauded the Federal Government’s commitment to accelerating energy access and emphasised that the initiative is designed to establish a sustainable ecosystem rather than deliver a one-off intervention.
Aliyu noted that smallholder farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) remain the backbone of Nigeria’s food system, making targeted investments in productive energy solutions critical to national economic development.
He highlighted several REA initiatives already driving progress, including the Energising Agriculture Programme, which currently has a pipeline of more than 120 bankable project sites, as well as the Africa Minigrids Programme.
He further disclosed that the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme has committed 250 million dollars to standalone solar systems, 100 million dollars to Solar-as-a-Business initiatives, and 50 million dollars specifically for Productive Use Equipment, demonstrating the government’s determination to scale clean energy solutions for agriculture and rural enterprises.
The Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, represented at the workshop, reaffirmed the Ministry’s alignment with the Productive Use of Energy agenda, while a representative of the ECOWAS Commission positioned Nigeria’s efforts within the broader regional strategy for energy-driven agricultural transformation and reiterated the Commission’s continued support for the initiative across West Africa.
The Abuja engagement is the first in a planned series of stakeholder consultations aimed at addressing critical issues surrounding financing models, technology standards and deployment strategies for productive-use equipment.
With the Federal Government, REA, development partners and private sector stakeholders united around a shared vision, participants expressed optimism that the dialogue will catalyse increased investment, accelerate innovation and improve productivity, livelihoods and income opportunities across Nigeria’s rural economy.
