Following the 2024 Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) Energy Access Investment Forum, Nigeria’s Project Technical Assistant reflects on the first-ever in person Community of Practice convening.
Each month, AMP spotlights an individual from one of the participating countries working tirelessly to advance the initiative at the regional or national level.
We met up with June’s Champion of the Month, Sauda Ahmed Bobboi, who shared her thoughts on the sidelines of EAIF 2024. Sauda spoke on lessons from the convening and how those takeaways can apply to several ongoing minigrid pilot processes. Read more.
Q: What’s your story—how did you end up working in the clean energy industry?
A: My interest in clean energy is rooted in my origin in the Sahelian region, where solar resources are abundant, but energy access and socio-economic development are low. In alignment with this interest, I studied energy engineering at university, after which I sought a more rounded understanding of the sector through a multidisciplinary Master’s in Energy Systems. I subsequently worked in the clean energy space both with the private and the public sectors to further ground my perspective on driving socio-economic development while ultimately achieving environmental sustainability in Africa.
Q: Briefly describe your role and involvement with AMP so far.
A: As the Project Technical Assistant of the Africa Minigrid Program, I have provided technical support to the Program Manager in project planning and implementation. This has included preparing the Minigrid Pilot Plan, providing support in key project components, including the tender process, the purpose-built grant management platform, site-specific activities such as feasibility studies and Environmental and Social Management plans, and capacity-building workshops for industry stakeholders.
Q: What excites you most about the potential of AMP, specifically in your country?
A: I am particularly enthused about two outcomes of the AMP in Nigeria: first, the invaluable consumption data anticipated from the minigrid pilots; and second, the results from ground-truthing the innovative agriculture-energy business models. These facets offer a unique opportunity to address a key barrier to scaling up the expansion of clean energy investments in Nigeria — i.e., attaining long-term visibility of demand.
Q: What is one thing you want people to know about minigrids and access to electricity?
A: Minigrids hold immense promise for fostering economic prosperity within rural Nigerian communities, provided the business model is finely tuned. Access to electricity catalyzes economic growth, concurrently enhancing the quality of healthcare, education, and overall standards of living.