Engr. Umar Abdullahi Umar, FNSE

Engr. Umar Abdullahi Umar, FNSE Executive Director, Technical Services, REA

As we continue to drive Mr President's Renewed Hope efforts while implementing the renewable energy scale-up phase at th...
08/05/2025

As we continue to drive Mr President's Renewed Hope efforts while implementing the renewable energy scale-up phase at the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria - REA, it is more pertinent now more than ever to strengthen strategic collaborations while expand Nigeria’s energy mix.

This week, I attended the European Union - United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) workshop on hydropower development project to boost Nigeria’s agro-industry.

One of the key strategies I have strengthened, alongside my team at the REA is the need to improve R&D, youth-led innovation as well as technical standards and specifications for all clean energy solutions. We don't only want to witness the construction of renewable energy projects, we want to witness renewable energy projects that stand the test of time and continue to serve the Nigerian populace, years and years after commissioning.

My role at REA is primarily targeted towards ensuring technical sustainability of these infrastructure and our plan is to continue to have these broad-based conversations on the best and the most innovative ways to protect our growing number of renewable energy infrastructure, even as we make efforts to introduce other technologies into the mix.

🔌 Interesting, engaging and productive outing at the REA-Lagos State Strategic Roundtable and the at the Oriental Hote...
17/04/2025

🔌 Interesting, engaging and productive outing at the REA-Lagos State Strategic Roundtable and the at the Oriental Hotel, this week. Just as we have continued to explore the unique opportunities across State Electricity Markets, Lagos State promises another set of possibilities to catalyze renewable energy investments and scale up efforts.

I am happy to see that His Excellency, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State aligns with the growth trajectory of the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria and is poised to align the State ambition with national priorities, local opportunities with global trends and policy intent with investment momentum.

Speaking of momentum, we successfully signed off 2 MoUs with the Lagos State Government: One targeted at scaling the deployment of sustainable solar energy in rural and underserved communities in Lagos State, including local manufacturing in Lagos and the the other on the activation of the collaboration agreement for the sub-national deployment of Solar PV systems on rooftops in underserved private and public institutions, through the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme.

Catch up on our Lagos story here https://lnkd.in/gzuxxiSz.

REA, Lagos State to Host Strategic Roundtable on Strengthening Collaboration and Catalyzing Growth in State Electricity ...
13/04/2025

REA, Lagos State to Host Strategic Roundtable on Strengthening Collaboration and Catalyzing Growth in State Electricity Markets:

Are you a key player in the clean energy sector? Have you been following the multiple partnerships the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria continues to catalyze? I will be live in Lagos on Monday the 14th of April, 2025 for the REA - Lagos State Strategic Roundtable. Join us!

🌎 https://rea.gov.ng/?na=view&id=186.

🔌 It has been an interesting week so far. On Tuesday the 8th of April, 2025 we received His Excellency, the Executive Go...
10/04/2025

🔌 It has been an interesting week so far. On Tuesday the 8th of April, 2025 we received His Excellency, the Executive Governor Bayelsa State, Sen. Douye Diri at the REA State-by-State Roundtable in Abuja.

The Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria State-by-State Initiative has become an interesting meeting point for State Governments, private sector players, renewable energy developers and investors. Having convened these Roundtables with 7 States in the last few months, I am delighted to witness how the quality of conversations have translated into productive partnerships.

I was quite delighted to hear the Governor speaking passionately about the need to strengthen the mechanisms for quality, sustainability and longevity of energy access infrastructure in Nigeria.

When I resumed as the Executive Director of Technical Services a little over a year ago, my immediate focus was on exploring the best ways to ensure the deployment of better, more efficient and more sustainable energy access infrastructure while holding all stakeholders to a standard that ensures same.

As a matter of fact, the REA worked in lockstep with the UK-NIAF to strengthen the agency’s Technical Standards and Specifications for all offgrid energy projects in Nigeria. This document now serves as a blueprint for delivering quality off-grid projects, including minigrids, solar home systems, solar powered streetlights and solar powered irrigation pumps.

As an implementing Agency of the Federal Government, we will continue to influence private sector players to align with the nation’s energy access scale up efforts in order to build projects that we will continue to be proud of.

Since the activation of the 2023 Electricity Act, the REA has sustained the facilitation of such productive engagements while ensuring that key frontline stakeholders continue to work collaboratively towards the same goal: clean, sustainable energy access for ALL

It has been an active 2025! On Tuesday the 21st of January, we advance the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria’s w...
17/01/2025

It has been an active 2025! On Tuesday the 21st of January, we advance the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria’s with the Kogi State Government.

This Roundtable is part of the Agency’s ongoing strategic collaboration with the sub-nationals under the State-by-State initiative. Designed to exploit the strategic, data-driven recommendations codified in the 2023 Electricity Act as passed into law by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, x-raying the National Electrification Strategy Plan (NESIP), the REA has so far convened successful Roundtables with 4 State governments in the last 3 months.

Read more about the State-by-State initiative here https://rea.gov.ng/rea-set-convene-strategic-roundtable-kogi-state-government-governor-seeks-agencys-support-unlocking-potentials-state-electricity-market/

I must commend our team at the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria for pulling off the Stakeholders Engagement Works...
21/12/2024

I must commend our team at the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria for pulling off the Stakeholders Engagement Workshop ( ) last week, alongside the team from ASOLAR Systems Nigeria Limited. Again, we have shown the sort of magic that happens when we optimize productive collaborations for our collective goal.

The nation’s energy sector is at a critical stage where action must be taken. The REA, under the leadership of Abba Aliyu, the MD/CEO is facilitating strategic engagements and coordinating the sector towards the right pathway as directed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

This 2-day Workshop on provided us with another opportunity to appreciate Mr President’s sector direction as detailed in the 2023 Electricity Act. Beyond that, however, it allowed us to explore possibilities for active electricity markets across in the 36 States of the Federation, with a particular focus on improved investment climates, finance, productive use equipment and local content, manpower, security, community buy-in as well as sustainability of distributed renewable energy infrastructure.

The private sector will continue to be valuable to this journey as this is why the REA continues to work hand in hand with private sector developers to implement the REA’s line up of private sector-driven programmes and initiatives such as the Rural Electrification Fund (REF), the upcoming Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme as well as the e-H.E.A.R.T initiative unveiled at the REASEW2024 last week by the Agency’s Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF), Engr. Doris Uboh.

As I continue to take on the interesting challenge of leading the Agency’s Technical Services Directorate, my team and I are committed to a ensuring a more cohesive sustainability guideline, including strict standards and specifications to further improve service delivery and longevity of energy access components. This is why we continue to urge private sector players to adhere to our new strategic pathway. As an Agency, we have a renewed sense of urgency to not only accelerate clean energy infrastructure nationationwide but to do so with sustainability and socioeconomic development in mind.

It’s quite delightful witnessing the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria’s strategic engagements with the sub-nati...
28/11/2024

It’s quite delightful witnessing the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria’s strategic engagements with the sub-nationals as each State Government continues to explore their respective electrification pathways in line with the regulatory authority codified in the 2023 Electricty Act. Earlier today, we received the Bauchi State Governor, His Excellency Governor Bala Mohammed at the REA where we discussed plans towards holding the strategic Roundtable with the Bauchi State Government to explore strategies and opportunities for rural electrification in the State. In the last few months, we have sustained these strategic engagements, one state at a time.

It was quite a delightful time in Lagos as I joined other industry stakeholders at the 18th a few days ago. The team a...
03/11/2024

It was quite a delightful time in Lagos as I joined other industry stakeholders at the 18th a few days ago. The team at OTL succeeded at exploring the often interesting and engaging nexus between the oil and gas sector and the fast-paced renewable energy ecosystem in Africa. I personally believe that as we continue to take real action while proferring solutions to the problems in the sector, we must equally continue to make room for knowledge-driven and solution-focused conversations amongst experts, both young and old.

This visit availed me the opportunity to share my thoughts on "the New Energy Order - Renewable Energy market", mainstreaming the data-driven programmes and initiatives we have running at Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria - REA, as we continue to optimize the Agency's mandate to power the unserved and the underserved. The unique nexus between these sectors continue to reveal itself in the work that we do at the REA.

In recent times, the REA have sustained engagement with oil companies looking to diversify their portfolio through their clean energy subsidiaries as we advance strategic engagements towards the development of the renewable energy market in Nigeria. Only a few weeks ago, my colleague Abba Aliyu, the MD/CEO of the REA shared some incisive feedback with the team from Oando Clean Energy Ltd at one of the exploratory meetings we had at the REA headquarters. The REA has maintained a central role on sector coordination over the years.

Interesting times in the energy sector. But, for us to scale, we need to take collective action. The nation's current blue print, the 2023 Electricity Act has provided sub-nationals with the opportunity to design their respective electrification strategies and open up the market to active players, including private sector players, investors, and development finance institutions. With the agency's advocacy on the growth of Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs), we are confident that this model will enable us to exploit a more accelerated approach to deploying sustainable, utility-scale clean energy projects across the country.

With a renewed sense of urgency, there is no better time to strengthen strategic collaborations in the energy sector tha...
29/10/2024

With a renewed sense of urgency, there is no better time to strengthen strategic collaborations in the energy sector than now and I am delighted to see the REA taking charge of sector coordination while deepening conversations on the 2023 Electricity Act as passed into Law by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

Now armed with regulatory authority from NERC, and technical and strategic support from the REA, State governments are designing their electricity framework in line with their unique opportunities. This is why His Excellency the Governor of Katsina State, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda spent a full day with the REA team last week as we explored investment opportunities in the Katsina State Electricity Market. We have equally signed an MoU with the State to strengthen the vital touch points as recommended by the 2023 Act. His Excellency the Governor has given his commitment to deliver clean energy solutions to homes, communities and businesses m.

Our doors remain open as we continue to work strategically with State Governments in a bid to close the energy gap in unserved and underserved communities nationwide.

This week, my colleagues and I at the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria - REA, with the incisive leadership of th...
16/10/2024

This week, my colleagues and I at the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria - REA, with the incisive leadership of the Agency's MD/CEO, Abba Abubakar Aliyu advanced conversation with JICA Nigeria. In the past few months, we have explored diverse perspectives and options as we chart a course for the deployment of a sustainable and impactful utility-scale renewable energy projects across the nation. The World Bank's greenlight on the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme is already catalyzing additional opportunities. The REA is set to deliver on the energy access objectives of the Federal Government of Nigeria, just as we have sustained efforts on attracting finance and investment to drive socioeconomic impact.

The tasking work routine we’ve kept at the REA since we resumed about 7 months ago rarely gives me the opportunity to po...
25/09/2024

The tasking work routine we’ve kept at the REA since we resumed about 7 months ago rarely gives me the opportunity to post frequently on my social channels. As the saying goes, “duty calls”. I will surely make time to provide valuable updates on my work here to catalyze productive conversations with other industry stakeholders.

We closed out the week, last week, on a good note as we convened a high-level, result-driven forum on strengthening the sustainability of our Energizing Education Programme (EEP). The EEP was activated in 2018 by the Federal Government and as one of the first strategic programs in the renewable energy space in Nigeria, it has remained very impactful.

We are happy that The World Bank and the African Development Bank Group have since committed to phase 2 and 3, respectively, leveraging the impact and the lessons from phase 1 funded through the first Federal Government Green Bond.

The purpose of the EEP is simple: to sustainably power federal universities and university teaching hospitals with clean, safe and reliable energy while institutionalizing research and development on renewable energy through the construction of innovative workshop and training centers.

I particularly love this program because it delivers a broad-based approach to reimagining our university campuses and I happy to see that 15 Federal Universities signed performance bond agreements with us last week with 9 more now underway.

For a better understanding of our objectives for the EEP, a succinct brief on our interactions with representatives of federal universities and the list of universities on the EEP 1, 2, 3 portfolio, click here https://lnkd.in/ge_yi2dP via the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria - REA.

A Renewed Hope - Mr. President is Certainly Walking the Talk:Productive engagements in China, targeted at very promising...
03/09/2024

A Renewed Hope - Mr. President is Certainly Walking the Talk:

Productive engagements in China, targeted at very promising development projects in Nigeria. I am delighted to be on this very strategic visit to China, as His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR makes bold on his sustained commitment to change the growth trajectory of the nation.

The high-powered bilateral agreements between Nigeria and China to impact on Mr. President's focus areas include energy access, agriculture, green economy, satellite technology development, media enterprise development and promotion, blue economic development, and national planning cooperation.

Led by the Honourable Minister for Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, my MD, Abba Aliyu Abubakar and I have kept to a productive culture of taking it all in, accessing more windows of opportunities as we explore transformative partnerships with global stakeholders.

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