The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to power telecommunications infrastructure with renewable energy across the country.
The agreement was signed over the weekend at the NCC–REA stakeholder forum held in Abuja.
The deal is expected to enable telecom base stations to draw electricity from existing and planned mini-grids, lowering operating costs while improving broadband access in areas with limited or no access to the national grid.
Speaking at the event, Aminu Maida, executive vice-chairman (EVC) of the NCC, said reliable electricity and digital connectivity are mutually reinforcing pillars of national development.
Maida, represented by executive commissioner for technical services, Abraham Oshadami, said communities without electricity struggle to sustain telecommunications infrastructure, while those without connectivity are unable to fully maximise the benefits of electrification.
He said the partnership would integrate energy and telecommunications planning by leveraging shared infrastructure and renewable energy to accelerate broadband deployment.
He said both agencies would exchange geospatial data on existing and planned projects to identify communities where electrification and connectivity interventions overlap.
Also, in his remarks, Umar Abdullahi, executive director of technical services at the REA, said the high cost of diesel has become one of the biggest barriers to expanding telecommunications services across Nigeria.
“The cost of that diesel is not merely an operating expense on an operator’s balance sheet. It is the reason coverage stops where it stops and the reason expansion into the last forty per cent of our landmass has been so difficult to justify commercially.”