World Bank to provide solar powered energy for 100 healthcare centres nationwide – REA

Solomon Ezeme

The World Bank has promised to provide 100 healthcare centres in Nigeria with a 50KW solar pv system each, to ensure steady power supply that will keep essential healthcare equipment and facilities running.

Chief executive officer/managing director (CEO/MD) of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Engr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, made this disclosure while speaking on the topic: ‘Improving Nigeria’s Power Sector Through Alternative Energy’, in an interview on the National Television Authority (NTA), on Sunday.

Engr. Ahmad said the World Bank has pledged to support the agency’s efforts by supplying 100 healthcare centres with 50KW solar pv system each.

“As I speak to you, the world bank has committed to providing 50KW solar pv systems to 100 healthcare centers, nationwide,” he said.

He noted that the intervention is going to help complement REA’s existing efforts in providing power for what he described as ‘critical equipment’ in healthcare centres, across the nation.

“We realize that there’s an excess between power provision – clean, reliable power – with services you provide at hospitals, especially when you think about powering some very critical equipment like ventilators and some other equipment you cannot to leave unpowered even for a few minutes because life is very important. But one good thing we saw with that was that that intervention also stimulated other international development partners to come in and show support,” he said.

He reiterated the commitment of the REA towards providing a continuous assistance to healthcare centres in the nation, even beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.

“One good thing about that is that we have been able to identify those healthcare facilities that are quite large, and also continue to provide healthcare services, hopefully beyond Covid-19,” he said