BY NKECHI BAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate Nigeria’s telecommunications and renewable energy sectors.
This took place in Abuja during a workshop which led to the establishes of a joint strategy to power critical telecom infrastructure using off-grid energy solutions.
According to both agencies the collaboration will addresses a primary obstacle to national connectivity: unreliable power supply.
The initiative leverages renewable energy to maintain seamless network operation, expanding digital access and economic inclusion across remote regions to drive Nigeria’s digital economy.
Highlighting the interdependence of power and connectivity, NCC Executive Vice Chairman Dr. Aminu Maida noted that electricity and digital networks share complementary goals. A community lacking stable power struggles to sustain network infrastructure, while one without connectivity cannot fully utilize available power. The new framework directly solves this by aligning energy generation directly with telecom deployment.
Under the agreement, both agencies will merge their geospatial data into a unified digital map to streamline growth. The REA will supply data on operational and planned renewable energy projects—such as solar mini-grids and home system clusters—while the NCC will map existing and upcoming telecom deployments to pinpoint priority development zones.
Engineer Abraham Oshadami, NCC’s Executive Commissioner for Technical Services, explained that rural base stations will now draw power directly from nearby solar mini-grids. This setup keeps telecom towers online without relying on the national grid, dramatically reducing operational downtime and lowering network operators’ heavy dependence on costly diesel generators.
Engr. Umar Umar, REA’s Executive Director of Technical Services, emphasized that the MoU ends years of the two agencies operating in isolation despite aligned goals. By comparing overlapping coverage maps, both organizations can now make data-driven decisions to quickly identify high-priority, viable sites where mini-grids and telecom towers can be co-located.
To ensure long-term execution, a dedicated NCC-REA Collaboration Committee has been created to oversee pilot projects and refine operational strategies. With ongoing input from industry stakeholders, the committee will establish a scalable blueprint to ensure renewable energy consistently powers Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
