The Nigerian Communications Commission and the Rural Electrification Agency have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to power telecommunications infrastructure with renewable energy, as the Federal Government seeks to reduce operators’ dependence on diesel and extend network coverage to underserved communities.
The agreement, signed on Friday at the NCC–REA Stakeholder Forum in Abuja, is expected to enable telecom base stations to draw electricity from existing and planned mini-grids, lowering operating costs while expanding broadband access in areas with limited or no grid power.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said reliable electricity and digital connectivity were inseparable components of national development.
Represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, Maida said, “Reliable electricity and digital connectivity are not two separate development goals. They both share mutually complementary objectives that produce an inclusive and productive economy. A community without power struggles to sustain connectivity infrastructure, and a community without connectivity struggles to fully benefit from the power it receives.”
He explained that the partnership would integrate energy and telecommunications planning by leveraging shared infrastructure and renewable energy to accelerate connectivity.
According to him, “Many of the communities still waiting for broadband access are the same communities still waiting for stable power, and solving both problems together is more efficient, more sustainable, and more affordable than solving them apart.”
Maida said the MoU would allow both agencies to share geospatial data to identify areas where electrification and connectivity projects overlap.
“In concrete terms, this means that REA will be sharing geospatial data on electrified, newly electrified and planned electrification projects with the Commission, while the Commission will be sharing its own data on existing and planned Universal Service Provision Fund deployments, so that both institutions are working from a single, integrated map of connectivity and energy gaps rather than two disconnected ones,” he said.
He added that the agencies would also explore how telecom infrastructure such as base stations and fibre repeaters could draw “stable, affordable power” from REA’s off-grid projects while co-locating telecom assets on REA-developed energy infrastructure where feasible.
Maida noted that the collaboration reflected the changing nature of telecommunications regulation in Nigeria.
“The Commission can no longer achieve its mandate by working within the boundaries of telecommunications alone. Meaningful connectivity, particularly for underserved and rural communities, depends on coordinated action across energy, infrastructure, finance and policy,” he said.
In his remarks, the Executive Director, Technical Services of the REA, Umar Abdullahi, said rising diesel costs had become a major obstacle to telecom expansion across the country.
“Nigeria’s digital economy rests on a physical foundation, and that foundation is power,” he said.
“Where the grid does not reach, and across large parts of this country it does not, that consumption is met by diesel. The cost of that diesel is not merely an operating expense on an operator’s balance sheet. It is the reason coverage stops where it stops and the reason expansion into the last forty per cent of our landmass has been so difficult to justify commercially.”
He said renewable mini-grids offered a commercially viable alternative because telecommunications towers provide a steady electricity demand.
“A telecommunications tower is a near-perfect anchor load, steady, twenty-four hours a day, creditworthy and contractually reliable. A mini-grid is a cheaper, cleaner and more predictable source of power than a diesel generator refuelled by road. Bringing them together improves the economics on both sides of the meter,” Abdullahi said.
According to him, technical teams from both agencies have already identified priority locations where renewable energy assets and telecom sites can be integrated.
“We have taken the Commission’s base-station data and the Agency’s mini-grid site database and run a proximity analysis to identify locations where an existing or planned renewable generation asset sits within viable distance of an existing or planned telecommunications site,” he said.
He added that the exercise had produced “a defined set of priority sites” where tower-as-anchor-load arrangements could be deployed immediately.
Speaking with journalists after the signing, Abdullahi said the agreement established an institutional framework that would enable coordinated implementation.
“The MoU is very significant because before today, both agencies have been working in silos. By signing this MoU, we came together to have one agenda so that all our efforts are going to be complementing each other,” he said.
He disclosed that both agencies had already identified telecom towers running on diesel that could be migrated to renewable energy.
“There are priority sites that have already been established. You have towers that are relying on diesel right now, and we’re trying to move them to be powered by mini-grids. That way, having cheaper and cleaner energy will bring down the cost of operation of these towers, and it will also expand coverage to Nigerians,” Abdullahi said.
Also speaking, Oshadami said communities would begin to benefit from the collaboration immediately.
“As you can see from some of the deliberations we had today, the MoU will make it possible for both REA and NCC to take maximum advantage of what is available from both ends,” he said.
He explained that existing and planned mini-grids would provide uninterrupted electricity for telecom base stations in locations without access to the national grid, improving connectivity for rural communities.
Asked when Nigerians should expect results, Oshadami replied, “It’s immediate. They have identified where you have mini-grids already in place and where the base stations are. Those that are very close now will start to enjoy it, and those that are still in the pipeline will also benefit as future projects are planned.”
Also presenting the implementation roadmap, the Special Adviser (Technical) to the NCC EVC, Dr Umar Sani-Abdullahi, said both agencies had already completed site visits, assessed infrastructure readiness and developed a digital dashboard to monitor implementation.
He said commercial analysis showed the initiative was financially viable for both energy providers and telecom operators and added that the next phase would focus on pilot partnerships, performance monitoring and data standardisation.
“We want to be able to see many more sites connected. We want to see many communities have access that they didn’t have before, and socioeconomic benefits trickling down,” he said, adding that the model could eventually serve as a template for other African countries.
