Households in Ejomi, Itula and Ashiku parishes have reliable electricity for the first time, after a solar mini-grid project connected its first 120 homes this week. Local officials say the rollout will support small businesses, health clinics and schools that have relied on generators or gone without power entirely.
The project, developed with a regional energy partner, uses a central solar array feeding a local distribution network — a model designed for communities like Obongi’s border parishes, where the national grid has not yet reached.
“We used to close the clinic at dusk because we had no light to work by. Now we can attend to patients through the night if we need to.”
What changes for residents
Shop owners in Ejomi say the mini-grid has already extended their operating hours, while a primary school in Itula plans to introduce evening study sessions. The district health office says two clinics along the route will use the new supply to keep vaccines properly refrigerated.
Part of a wider push
The mini-grid is one of several infrastructure projects local leaders point to as evidence that Obongi’s remoteness — a district still reachable only by ferry — is not the barrier to development it once was.
Ronald Aliga Odu
Station Manager & host of District Roundup. Reports on governance, infrastructure and development across Obongi.
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Comments (2)
Finally! We’ve been asking about this since last year. Good news for the clinic especially.
Will Ariwa parish be included in the next phase? We’re just next door.