Nigeria — The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) are rolling out joint pilot projects to link rural solar mini-grids with telecommunications networks, aiming to drastically cut operational costs for mobile operators while bringing digital access to millions in off-grid communities.
The initiative targets over 11,000 rural telecom base stations that currently depend on heavy generator power, consuming over 40 million litres of diesel every year. By shifting these towers to renewable energy, the government aims to stabilize local power grids and make rural network expansion economically viable for operators.
Speaking on behalf of REA Managing Director Dr. Abba Aliyu at the Rural Connect 2.0 Summit in Lagos, REA Executive Director (Technical) Umar A. Umar revealed that joint technical subcommittees are moving to physical audits of candidate sites to validate the operational framework.
The initiative builds on a formal Memorandum of Understanding signed between the REA and the NCC in July 2026.
Lowering Costs, Scaling Impact
Nigeria’s household electrification rate sits at roughly 60 per cent, leaving rural connectivity heavily constrained by energy deficits. Under the joint framework, telecom towers will serve as anchor energy off-takers for local mini-grids, guaranteeing reliable demand for power developers while lowering overhead for telecom firms.
The collaboration aligns with the REA’s $750 million Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) program, which targets the deployment of 1,350 mini-grids to power 17.5 million citizens.
Focus on Anchor Institutions
Also addressing the summit, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Tony Emoekpere, stressed that rural connectivity should be evaluated by practical community usage rather than raw signal coverage.
Emoekpere urged planners to integrate broadband infrastructure directly into mini-grid designs from the ground up, anchoring networks to primary healthcare centers, schools, local government offices, and farming cooperatives.
”Connecting these anchor institutions creates a sustainable revenue base for rural operators in areas where private commercial returns are traditionally low,” Emoekpere noted, advocating for dedicated financial backing for local ISPs.
Summit convener Omobayo Azeez added that strengthening public-private ties is essential to achieving the event’s broader goal: bringing Nigeria’s next 25 million citizens online.
