By Emmanuel Oluwakorede, Lokoja
Kogi State Government on Thursday issued licences to three investors on the development of Mini-grid across the State.
Speaking in a message to the ceremony, the Commissioner for Energy and Rural Development, Engineer Abdulmutalib Muhammad noted that the move will boost provision of improved power supply to rural dwellers.
The issuance of the mini grid permit is another milestone in the efforts of the Kogi State Electricity Regulatory Commission led by Engineer Ibrahim S. Abdwaaris as
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The Energy and Rural Development Commissioner, represented at the occasion by his Technical Assistant, Husseni Sule said the permit is expected to cover over forty communities in five Local Government Areas.
The Commissioner expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Engineer Abdwaaris led KERC, assuring of more support from the State Government.
Earlier, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Engineer Ibrahim S. Abdwaaris described the issuance of the permits as a landmark achievement in the evolution of the State electricity market.
“Today’s ceremony is not merely administrative; it is symbolic and strategic. It signals Kogi State’s clear transition from electricity access as an aspiration to electricity access as a regulated, investable, and accountable market outcome.
According to him, Mini-grids occupy a critical position in the Energy market architecture, saying they are intentional instruments of last-mile electrification, rural economic inclusion, and productive-use energy deployment.
He said “For communities that have remained structurally underserved, mini-grids represent the fastest pathway to reliable power, local enterprise growth, and improved quality of life.”
The Chairman stated that the State welcomes more investors in the Sector, noting that it will be transparent and professional in playing its regulatory role.
“The permits being issued today are therefore not symbolic documents. They are regulatory contracts. They confer rights, but they also impose obligations, obligations around safety, technical standards, service quality, consumer protection, reporting discipline, and long-term asset stewardship.
“To our development partners and investors, today demonstrates that Kogi State is building an electricity market anchored on rules, data, and institutional governance, not discretion. This is how confidence is built. This is how capital is attracted. And this is how electrification scales.
The Investors are, Provida Power Limited, Have hill Energy Limited and Crossboundary Energy Access Nigeria Asset Limited.
Speaking on behalf of the Investor, Matilda Chioma expressed delight for scaling through the process of getting the permit, assuring of the Company’s commitment to energy access.
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