The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) took a significant step towards expanding energy access in Nigeria on Monday, holding its inaugural grant signing ceremony for the World Bank-funded Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) Project, which officially launched in 2024.
REA signed agreements with eight companies—Baobab Plus, Salpha Energy, Asolar, NTA-StarTimes, A4&T, Sunking Greenlight Planet, Bboxx, and D.Light—under the Standalone Solar Systems component to deploy tier 1 and tier 2 plug-and-play solar solutions to households and MSMEs.
The DARES project, a $750 million World Bank-funded initiative, aims to bring reliable, decentralized energy solutions to unserved and underserved communities nationwide.
It aims to empower state governments, enable private sector participation, and scale solar technologies to reach over 17.5 million Nigerians supporting the World Bank’s Mission300 agenda and Nigeria’s broader energy transition goals.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, REA’s Managing Director/CEO, Abba Aliyu, said the DARES project is designed to boost Nigeria’s off-grid energy market by providing targeted financial support for mini-grid and standalone solar initiatives.
He said: “A key initiative under the Nigeria Electrification Programme (NEP), DARES is designed to facilitate the deployment of renewable energy solutions across Nigeria.
“These solutions are vital for providing reliable, and affordable electricity to communities that are currently off-grid, thereby unlocking their potential for social and economic advancement. The Nigeria DARES project aims to impact the lives of N17.5 million Nigerians.
“Under the Performance-Based Grant (PBG) sub-component for isolated mini-grids, Privida Power Limited secured grant to deploy 2.47 megawatts (MW) of solar mini-grids across eleven (11) communities in Kogi State, providing over 11,027 new connections.
“In addition, 8 companies under the Standalone Solar Systems (SAS) component, including Baobab Plus, Salpha Energy, Asolar, NTA-StarTimes, A4&T, Sunking Greenlight Planet, Bboxx and D.Light — signed agreements to roll out tier 1 & 2 plug and play solutions to households and MSMEs to increase energy access to rural Nigeria.
“Today’s signing is not just a contract — it is a commitment to communities long underserved by conventional infrastructure. Through DARES, we are enabling private sector leadership in bringing life-changing energy solutions to the heart of Nigeria.”
“This is what distributed renewable energy should represent: local empowerment, economic opportunity, and human dignity,” Persecondnews also quotes him as saying.
In his remarks, Mr. Olufemi Akinyelure, Head of the Nigeria Electrification Programme (HNEP), highlighted the initiative’s wider impact on the country’s energy landscape.
He said: “Every connection made under DARES is more than a number — it is a doorway to education, healthcare, commerce, and inclusion.
“The 11,027 new connections we are announcing today represent lives transformed, futures energized, and a Nigeria that leaves no one behind.
“Partnerships like these are the blueprint for achieving our national energy access goals.”
Leave a comment