DDiAdmiNRenewable Energy company and USADF Grantee – Darway Coast has signed a Performance-Based Grant (PBG) agreement under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) Solar Hybrid Mini-grid component – with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) of Nigeria. By this grant, Darway Coast will connect 1000 households, MSMEs and Public facilities in Obite Community in Etche LGA in Rivers State.
With a pay-off line ‘Empowering Businesses & Households’, and with support from reputable and well-meaning organisations, Darway Coast is not new to the business of providing efficient and eco-friendly energy solutions for households and businesses across Nigeria. For instance, in 2018, Darway Coast identified two villages in the same Etche LGA without access to electricity and got a $50,000 grant funding from USADF (which was co-funded by All-On with $50,000 debt).
With Diamond Development Initiatives (DDI)s providing local project management and business advisory assistance, the project deliverables for Darway Coast was to build and operate two solar-powered microgrids to supply affordable, clean electricity to Ozuzu and Akpoku communities.
The result? Darway Coast, a developer that daily strives to provide clean, reliable, sustainable and affordable access to electricity, successfully commissioned two solar 33.2kW microgrids providing electricity to over 70 households and businesses on a pay-as-you-go model. Since then, Darway Coast, with a vision to becoming a leading provider of innovative and cost-effective energy solutions has further accessed a follow-on funding opportunity from the European Union and the German government to replicate the solution in the Niger Delta.
With 800 million people around the world not connected to electricity, bridging this energy gap has been on the front burner for leaders around the world, especially in developing countries. Nigeria is not left out as the bigger picture for REA is to accelerate the development of mini-grid technology solutions to close the energy gap in Nigeria.
For Darway Coast’s CEO, Henry Ureh, reliable and sustainable power supply is one of the keys to unlock the potential of Africa at large. Little wonder that the team at Darway Coast, has what might seem like a tall order – the dream of empowering over a million businesses and households between the next 5-10 years through the provision of reliable electricity and other value-added services. With such a grant, and with a track record, Darway Coast is sprinting closer to the actualization of that dream.
From all of us at DDI who are committed stakeholders in championing the empowerment of Nigerian renewable energy companies in providing off-grid, renewable, sustainable, reliable and affordable power to underserved and unserved communities across, we congratulate the team at Darway Coast for this award and extol the nation’s commitment to bridging the energy gap in Nigeria.