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The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are set to roll out joint pilot projects aimed at integrating rural mini-grids with telecommunication base stations, a move designed to drastically reduce operating costs for telecom operators while expanding digital access across underserved communities.
The initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed between both government agencies in July 2026 and was announced at the Rural Connect 2.0 Summit held on Tuesday in Lagos under the theme ‘Rural Connectivity at Scale.’
Speaking on behalf of Dr. Abba Aliyu, Managing Director of the REA, Engr. Umar A. Umar, Executive Director of Technical Services, disclosed that a joint committee and three specialized subcommittees have already evaluated funding structures, technical requirements, and business models for the collaboration.
The next step involves site audits and operational data validation alongside mobile network operators and mini-grid developers.
According to the REA, Nigeria’s household electrification rate currently stands at approximately 60 per cent, leaving over 11,000 rural base stations reliant on off-grid power solutions consuming an estimated 40 million litres of diesel annually.
By shifting base stations from heavy reliance on diesel generators to clean, local solar mini-grids, the initiative aims to:
Lower Operating Expenses: Substantially cut fuel, procurement, and transport costs for network providers.
Improve Reliability: Boost uptime and service quality for rural mobile and internet networks.
Drive Inclusion: Extend digital and power infrastructure simultaneously to off-grid communities.
Aliyu highlighted ongoing REA programs that will serve as the backbone for this integration, including the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), which has delivered over 150 hybrid solar mini-grids and 1.45 million solar home systems and the $750 million Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) program.
The DARES program targets 1,350 mini-grids to extend electricity to 17.5 million Nigerians, supporting the broader National Electricity Strategy and Implementation Plan’s goal of achieving universal access by 2030.
Industry Leaders Call for Usage-Based Rural Connectivity
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Tony Emoekpere, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), urged stakeholders to design mini-grid projects with connectivity in mind from inception.
Emoekpere argued that connecting critical community infrastructure such as primary healthcare centers, schools, local council offices, and agricultural cooperatives to shared power and telecom networks creates a sustainable revenue base while driving down infrastructure costs.
He also advocated for direct support to community-based Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to serve areas with lower immediate commercial returns. Earlier, Mr. Omobayo Azeez, Convener of the summit organised by Business Metrics, stated that bridging the digital divide is essential for healthcare, agriculture, and financial inclusion, noting that the event aimed to build partnerships capable of bringing Nigeria’s next 25 million users online.
