Solar Program to Launch in Rural Nigeria

Nigeria has launched a solar power project that could be up and running as early as mid-2008. The project aims to turn the lights on in as many as ten communities without access to the national electrical grid in rural Nigeria.

According to reports, construction has begun on the project and contractors were expected to start delivering the equipment mid to late January 2008. Some 5,000 people — living in villages in Badagry, Epe, Eredo, and Ojo are expected to benefit.

Overall the project’s cost is small, estimated at $1.25 million, for the number of people that will benefit. The contractors for the solar power initiative are the Dynamic Treasure Chest Co., Hafas Enterprises, and Impasse Technologies.

A pilot project began in May at the fishing village on Bishop Kodji Island, home to about 5,000 people. For the first time, villagers have television in the community hall as well as power to the churches, mosques, and schools. Solar panels, which convert the sun’s rays into electricity, also treat water and pump it from a storage tank.

"The lifespan of the panel is 30 years according to the manufacturer. Also there is little or no maintenance: all the villagers need is to clean dust from the panels. The deep gel battery will last for 10 years," said Adenike Boyo, Director of Science and Technology at the Directorate of Policy, Programs, and Promotion; the ministerial department that is overseeing the project.

The project also contributes to local content as the equipment that is manufactured abroad is being assembled locally. In Imo State, in eastern Nigeria, solar power is being used to power streetlights and other ancillary services. Government spokesman Steve Osuji said that the innovation is coming under the current administration’s ‘Clean and Green Initiative’, whereby Owerri city and other major towns in the state are being given a facelift.

A similar government project, launched in 2002 with assistance from the Japanese government, has lit up 200 rural communities in Imo, Ondo, and Jigawa states as well as the capital Abuja.