Rural electrification best way of moving people out of poverty

Dr Joe Abah, the Country Director, Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), on Tuesday in Abuja, said that electrifying rural communities was best way of moving people out of poverty.

Abah said this at the inauguration of the Carbon Chamber Project (CCB) conference organised by the National Chamber Policy Centre of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).

DAI is a company of skilled technical specialists and project managers, trained in the disciplines of international development.

While emphasising the need for alternative energy sources, he expressed concern over recent power outages that affected businesses in the country.

According to him, most of us who live in Abuja have been having electricity issues for the past few days.

“I reached out to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to find out what is going on and what has been the the problem.

“It has really affected self-employed people like the welders and people who rely on electricity for their day to day living.

“ This is why DAI has worked very closely with the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria (REA) to look at how we can scale up the ability to bring energy to Nigeria,’’ he said.

Abah said that access to reliable electricity drives development and was essential for job creation and empowerment.

“Having energy in our rural areas means that there will be power and less wastages from lack of storage as a result of lack of electricity.

“Electrifying rural communities is absolutely the best way of moving people out of poverty,’’ Abah said.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that over the years, the rural areas in Nigeria have witnessed intense neglect and inadequate rural infrastructure development.