- The former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibrahim Ali has announced that a solar module manufacturing facility will be built in Borno, a state in north-eastern Nigeria.
- The expected annual production capacity is 40MW.
- The new facility, Borno Solar Panel Factory, will form part of Governor Kashim Shettima’s industrialisation policy.
On the motive behind the Solar Power Panel Factory in Maiduguri Ali said; “It is Africa’s biggest and is fully automated. The idea is wholly that of Governor Kashim Shettima, and his intention is to set the stage for the industrialisation of Borno State in line with his desire to kick-start the economy of the state in response to the dislocation wrought on the state by a decade-long insurgency. In this district where all the nine industries are located, one can see an unprecedented level of activity to redefine our targets and objectives in a way that will change the narratives and build a future of prosperity and growth.”
On the factory’s targets and market for the solar panels he said; “Our target is to produce certified quality solar panels and each panel will have capacity for 300 watts. As you know 1,000 watts equals to one kilowatt and 1,000 of that is one megawatt. Each year, we would have an aggregate of 40MW. Borno requires not more than 120 to 150MW to power its industrial drive, lubricate the economy, give access to small scale entrepreneurs and propel growth. It means in just three years, we can achieve self-sufficiency in power generation.”
He added; “We are a business and as such we are a global brand. But my eyes are set on providing cheap and affordable electricity to the very people that are in critical and dire need of it to have access to power to improve their performances and businesses and to push them out of poverty. In this category we have boreholes, clinics, hospitals, schools, kiosks and other small businesses, street lights, market places, villages and even Tsangayas. In fact, we believe that we will change the way we do irrigation in the North, Nigeria and the whole of Africa.”
On the fears that solar power is not fully solving electricity needs in Nigeria due to its low voltage, he said; “We have addressed all those fears by establishing a world class solar panel factory, the best and biggest in Africa and it is fully automated. We produce highly qualitative panels through a well-thought out and meticulous engineering process that will stand the test of time. We know the challenges and there was no stone that was left unturned in the process of actualising this dream.”
Author: GBA News Desk
Source: Daily Trust
