By Adesewa George
The Agricultural Agenda Nigeria Initiative (AANI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to deploy renewable energy solutions and energy-efficient equipment that will support smallholder farmers across Nigeria.
The agreement was signed on Thursday in Abuja during the National Stakeholders’ Engagement Workshop on National Alignment for the Deployment of Energy-Efficient Agricultural Productive Use Equipment (NADAPUE).
The workshop was organised by REA in partnership with the ECOWAS Regional Off-Grid Electricity Access Project (ROGEAP), the Federal Ministries of Power and Agriculture and Food Security, and the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (GOGLA).
Speaking after the signing, AANI National President, Amb. Ephraim Audu, said the partnership would help address energy challenges confronting millions of smallholder farmers.
He said the collaboration would expand access to productive-use energy equipment, solar-powered irrigation, cold storage facilities, climate-smart technologies and financing to boost productivity, cut production costs, reduce post-harvest losses and improve farmers’ incomes.
Audu said the MoU would also strengthen collaboration on policy advocacy, farmer mobilisation, project implementation, capacity building, investment facilitation and renewable energy deployment across agricultural value chains.
He added that the partnership aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals on zero hunger, clean energy, decent work, climate action and partnerships.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the REA, Mr Abba Aliyu, said stronger collaboration among government institutions, development partners and the private sector was critical to building sustainable energy systems.
He said many energy and agricultural projects had failed to achieve lasting impact because they lacked enduring institutional structures.
“What we are trying to build today is a system. Systems outlive funding cycles because they are backed by strong institutions, political will and effective coordination,” he said.
Aliyu said smallholder farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) remained the backbone of Nigeria’s food system, stressing the need for coordinated action to improve productivity.
Earlier, the Senior Adviser and Coordinator of ROGEAP, Elhadji Sylla, commended the Federal Government for expanding electricity access through renewable energy.
He said electricity should power businesses and other productive activities, noting that solar energy would play a key role in reducing poverty and accelerating universal access.
Sylla said the project aimed to deepen the off-grid solar market across West Africa by deploying energy as a productive asset for economic transformation.
The workshop brought together stakeholders to discuss policy alignment, financing and strategies for scaling productive-use energy technologies.
Participants pledged to expand renewable energy solutions, including mini-grids, solar irrigation and cold-chain systems, to boost productivity, create jobs and strengthen food security. (NAN)
Edited by Tosin Kolade