The persistent electricity challenges faced by Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, will soon be a thing of the past, as the institution has been selected as one of seven universities to benefit from the special intervention project under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund.
As part of the project, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) will build a 12MW solar plant as a grant to the University—an intervention expected to significantly address its electricity challenges and enhance operational efficiency.
Construction of the solar plant will commence immediately, with completion scheduled for December 2025.
Similarly, the REA Managing Director assured that the agency will work closely with Ahmadu Bello University to develop a sustainable energy model that ensures a reliable power supply at a minimal cost to the University.
The minimal cost will cover asset replacement as well as operations and maintenance, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project.
ABU and REA have already agreed to sign a term sheet in the coming weeks to formalize the collaboration.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Alhaji Abba Abubakar Aliyu, disclosed this development when the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Kabiru Bala, led a high-level delegation on a courtesy visit to REA headquarters in Abuja.
Once completed, the project will not only enhance the institution’s operational efficiency but also reduce its reliance on expensive and unreliable grid power.
Speaking during the courtesy visit, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kabiru Bala, expressed the University’s immense gratitude to the agency for its support and reaffirmed ABU’s commitment to collaborating with the REA to ensure the success of the project.
“The University looks forward to the timely completion of the project and the positive impact it will have on the University community,” he said.
Ahmadu Bello University has been grappling with perennial electricity problems for years, significantly disrupting academic, administrative, and research activities. Additionally, high electricity costs continue to strain the University’s limited resources.
The Vice-Chancellor was accompanied on the visit to the agency by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation, and Advancement), Prof. Aliyu Rafindadi Sanusi; Prof. Boyi Jimoh of the Department of Electrical Engineering; the Director of the Institute of Development Research and Training, Dr. Muhammad Kabir Salihu; and the Head of Bulk Metering, Engr. Dahiru Dalhat.
