By Abdallah el-Kurebe
Sokoto state government, Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on sustainable rural electrification with the European Union (EU) and German government.
The 4-year MoU was signed, on behalf of Sokoto state government, by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Sahabi Gada while the EU Deputy Head of Delegation, Mr. Richard Young, who was represented by Mr. Daniel Werner, Head of Nigerian Energy Programme of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), signed on behalf of the EU and the German Government.
Mr. Young said that the MOU was part of the bilateral cooperation of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme, funded by the European Union and the German government, which was being implemented by GIZ.
Young further said that the programme was aimed at improving the electricity planning capacities of Sokoto state.
According to him, “It is aimed at developing self-sustaining models that will foster the provision of electricity to rural communities using small-scale renewable energy technologies. It will also improve access to sustainable electricity in the state and will cover 2014 to 2017,” he said.
While stating that two villages would be electrified under the MoU to promote investments and boost power supply, as well as distribution, Young added that the agreement also entailed capacity building for the Technical Staff of the state in the energy and electricity supply sector.
“Sokoto state was selected as part of the five partner-states to benefit from the programme after a comprehensive and transparent selection process. This is our contribution to ensure the success of the ongoing transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan,” he stressed adding, “We have to commend the Sokoto state government for its giant strides in this sector and the construction of its Independent Power Project (IPP),” Young stated.
Gada said that the state’s IPP project billed to provide 38.5 Megawatts of power to the state, would cost N3.8 billion.
He commended the EU and German Government observing that the project would complement efforts of the state government in improving power supply.
“Since 2007, the energy being supplied to the state from the national grid was far inadequate for our industries and other socio-economic activities of the people of the state. Consequently, power load shedding and rationing have been in the vogue across the state and the development has been hampering the smooth socio-economic development of the state,” Gada said.
