By George Ozalla
Zamfara State has emerged as a prime location for solar farms, mini-grids, and autonomous power systems, thanks to its intense sunlight throughout the year. Governor Dauda Lawal made this revelation on Wednesday at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja during the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) strategic roundtable with the state government.
The well-attended roundtable brought together energy sector stakeholders as part of REA’s continued state-by-state strategic meetings. The event focused on revitalizing Zamfara’s electricity sector and promoting social justice, strategic development, and innovation via renewable energy. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Zamfara State Government and the REA, paving the way for collaborative efforts to enhance energy access in the state.
Governor Lawal spotlighted the state’s vast potential for renewable energy investment, citing its high-intensity year-round sunlight and the immense potential of the Bakalori Dam, a largely untapped hydropower asset. Lawal stressed the opportunity to deploy hybrid energy solutions that can sustainably power semi-urban and rural clusters.
The governor also observed that Zamfara’s agricultural sector is another strong anchor, with the state consistently ranked among Nigeria’s top millet, sorghum, and soybeans producers. He emphasized the need for critical power infrastructure to support agro-processing, cold-chain storage, and value addition at the source, which renewable energy can provide.
“Many Local Government Areas were disconnected from the national grid. Public utilities were decayed, vandalized, or non-functional. Critical infrastructure had collapsed under years of neglect, and our industrial and commercial centers were crippled by unreliable power supply,” Governor Lawal said.
“However, we chose not to wallow in the blame game. Instead, we intentionally responded to the challenges we met with strategic vision, unwavering resolve, and decisive action,” he added.
“Since then, our administration has embarked on a mission to rewrite that narrative by placing energy access at the heart of our development strategy. We launched one of the country’s most ambitious State-led transformer deployment programs, installing more than 150 units across urban and rural communities,” Governor Lawal stated.
“In collaboration with Kaduna Electric, we restored power to six local government areas and are reconnecting seven more, some of which have been without power for over a decade. These efforts are part of a plan to expand access, stimulate enterprise, and unlock private sector investment,” he said.
“We are blessed with high-intensity year-round sunlight, making us a prime location for solar farms, mini-grids, and standalone systems. Coupled with this is the immense potential of the Bakalori Dam, a largely untapped hydropower asset with an irrigation command area of over 30,000 hectares,” Governor Lawal further emphasized.
“The Gusau International and Cargo Airport, nearly complete, is envisioned as a gateway for passengers, trade, logistics, and investments. We aim for this facility to be Nigeria’s first airport powered by at least 50% renewable energy, offering RESCOs a chance to lead in sustainable aviation,” he added.
REA Managing Director Abba Abubakar Aliyu assured Governor Lawal of the agency’s commitment to deploying electricity infrastructure in Zamfara State. “For the first time in the history of Nigeria, mapping the entire country has been done, and it shows the number and location of the people who do not have electricity. The nature of their community and their electricity demand. This helps the RESCOs, the finances, and the state government develop a strategy for channeling efforts to ensure that these people have electricity,” he said.
