REA, EY to collaborate on sustainable energy access with states & DisCos

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and Ernst & Young (EY) have concluded plans to organize a workshop to dissect ways and means for improved energy access through collaboration with states and Distribution Companies (DisCos).

EY revealed this in a statement released on February 20th, 2024.

The theme of the roundtable is “Implementing the Electricity Act 2023: Improved energy access through collaboration with states and Discos—The Nigeria outlook,” and it will be held on February 27th and 28th, 2024, at the Nigeria Airforce Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja.

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The collaboration, according to REA, is based on carrying out their mandate and guaranteeing the successful completion of some of their projects, stressing the necessity of forging amicable working relationships between the REA, the states, and the distribution companies.

The statement read, “On the objectives of the roundtable, it is to create a pathway that will provide access to data on unelectrified communities, allow for proper coordination/flow of information within the Discos, States and Federal and other private partners.”

“Another objectives of the event is to explore collaboration opportunities with relevant stakeholders; minimize the information gap between the REA, states and the Discos, and capacity building and the needs assessment framework (states, institutional, individual, and private sector perspectives), in addition to provide a platform for accountability framework for the states and Discos,” it added.

According to the statement, EY would provide specialized technical assistance to facilitate and coordinate the roundtable, while REA, as the implementing agency of the federal government under the Federal Ministry of Power, will provide the contexts with focal points on understanding the Rural Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan (RESIP); challenges and barriers to implementing the RESIP and the Electricity Act 2023, including regulatory constraints, financial limitations, technical hurdles and socio-economic factors.

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“The program will further examine the provisions and implications of the Electricity Act 2023 in the context of rural electrification, highlighting its role in facilitating sustainable energy access, promoting renewable energy deployment, and enhancing regulatory frameworks,” the statement said.