The Executive Director (Technical Services) of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Engr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje has rolled out a large-scale solar empowerment initiative in Kano State, delivering renewable energy and irrigation solutions to farmers and small business operators across key rural communities.
The empowerment programme, held on Sunday evening in Kano, saw the distribution of solar-powered irrigation pumps to 120 young farmers and solar energy systems to 160 Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) across Dawakin-Tofa, Tofa and Rimin Gado federal constituency. The intervention covered a total of about 280 beneficiaries.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by Edwin Olofu, media aide to the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, it was disclosed that each SME beneficiary received a solar system with a capacity of approximately 1.2 kilowatts. The systems are intended to provide stable electricity supply, reduce reliance on fuel and lower operating costs for small businesses.
Speaking at the event, Engr. Ganduje said the initiative was designed to support both male and female youths, particularly those in rural communities whose livelihoods depend heavily on electricity. He explained that the solar-powered irrigation pumps would also enable farmers to engage in year-round farming, improving output and income stability.
He noted that the intervention marked the seventh empowerment programme implemented in the constituency, adding that more initiatives were being planned. According to him, a total of 13,947 people across Dawakin-Tofa, Tofa and Rimin Gado had benefited from various empowerment schemes so far.
Ganduje emphasized that empowering SMEs remained critical to economic development, describing small businesses as the backbone of sustainable growth. He added that the programme aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in the areas of national development and human capital advancement.
The Deputy Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Hon. Muhammad Bello Butu-Butu, described the programme as timely and impactful, noting that it would significantly improve the livelihoods of youths in the area. He also called for unity among members of the APC.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area, Hon. Anas Dan Maliki, commended the initiative and pledged to replicate similar empowerment efforts at the grassroots level.
Furthermore, beneficiaries expressed appreciation for the support, with a business centre operator, Sulaiman Dan Sudu, saying the solar equipment would enhance his productivity, while a tailor, Maman Talatu, said it would ease the electricity challenges affecting her work.
