The African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Nigeria has unveiled plans to provide clean energy to one million households across the country in 2025.

The Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Hon. Jabiru Salisu Abdullahi, who disclosed this at a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, said the move aligns with global climate action goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

AUDA-NEPAD is a technical body of the African Union which focuses on advancing sustainable development in areas like infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, and climate change.

President Bola Tinubu, on December 5, 2024, appointed Jabiru Abdullahi as the new CEO for AUDA-NEPAD following the expiration of the tenure of the immediate past CEO, Gloria Akobundu

Abdullahi further revealed that the initiative would prioritise rural communities without access to electricity while assuring Nigerians that the project will be implemented nationwide.

“I have an ambitious agenda which I hope to achieve starting this year and hopefully, I can achieve it this year totally. I intend to light up one million houses using clean energy.

“Yes, it’s by no means an easy task, but it’s doable. With the right partners that are there to mitigate climate change, I know we’ll achieve this. Some may wonder how we intend to power one million houses. It’s not going to be in one state; it has to be spread all over the nation. But generally, we are targeting the rural communities where they lack access to electricity. The costs are huge, but I’m optimistic we can achieve that,” he said.

While expressing support for the Supreme Court judgment directing financial autonomy for local councils, the AUDA-NEPAD CEO stressed the critical role of local governments in driving development.

He said the agency would provide capacity building to the local governments to ensure proper utilization of the funds “so that they can avoid the pitfalls that come with that huge task.”

Abdullahi also announced plans to expand AUDA-NEPAD’s presence at the grassroots.

According to him, the agency has already appointed state coordinators and plans to designate local government coordinators.

Abdullahi said: “Just last week, we sent out letters appointing state coordinators. We will not stop there; we will go down and appoint local government coordinators. And, you know, other than that, it’s about development, it’s about infrastructure. Indeed, where you start development is the local government.

“I’ve been a local government chairman in my life, so I know that the heartbeat of development in Nigeria is the local government. Whatever project you have, whatever initiative you have, it will be in a local government. Whatever is situated in Nigeria, it has to be in a local government.

“And again, the current policy of direct funding of the local government, I would like to tell you that AUDA-NEPAD aligns with Mr. President’s intention. And we’ll do everything possible to support it.”

Noting that the organisation is tasked with executing priority programs that align with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 while addressing Nigeria’s unique challenges and opportunities, Abdullahi said attention would be paid to smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth, stating that they are a cornerstone of its agricultural initiatives.

Abdullahi, who further observed that the agency faces challenges such as funding and lack of legal backing, expressed optimism about overcoming these obstacles.

He said, “Like any other agency in Nigeria or in Africa, we are also not without our challenges. The first and the biggest one is funding. However, we are doing everything possible to change the situation. By the grace of Mr. President, our budget has been increased this year and it will continue to increase as we move forward. The second challenge is with the bill establishing AUDA-NEPAD.

“We are pushing for the passage of that bill, and you know this is a peculiar situation with most of the agencies; you have an agency working by the grace of Mr. President’s fiat with no legal National Assembly backing.

“Our bill has passed second reading, and hopefully by June this year, we’ll have a bill for AUDA-NEPAD.”