EUROPEAN Union (EU) will spend 10 million Euros (Over N4 billion) in providing solar energy to some health facilities in Adamawa, the EU Head of Cooperation, Mr Kurt Cornelis, said.

The EU official made this known during the launch of the project in Yola on Friday.

He said “we are here today because of the partnership between Adamawa State Government, DFID and the EU to
launch a project that will help to provide access to sustainable energy to power hospitals that are off the grid in the state.

“The project — Solar Nigeria — is not new; it has proven to be successful in its first and second phases in Lagos State and in
Kaduna State, which were fully funded by DFID.

“The EU is scaling this project now by committing 30 Million Euros to support Kano, Kaduna and Adamawa states and
additional 7.5 million Euros in Borno.

“In Adamawa, we are investing 10 million Euros out of the overall project budget to provide sustainable energy to eight
health facilities across the state using solar PV. This includes five General Hospitals, one tertiary health institution and
two primary healthcare centres.”

The state Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, lauded EU for the interventions which he said would bring relief to communities
ravaged by insurgency in northern part of the state.

Fintiri, whose speech was read by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Maxwell Gidado, assured government support for the success
of the project and urged for extension of such support to communities ravaged by farmers/herders conflicts in southern zone
of the state.

Fintiri said that the state also needed assistance in the area of education and to the 4,000 refugees expected to be evacuated
from Cameroon to Adamawa soon.

The Adamawa Permanent Secretary, Energy Department, Mr Mennas Ngangurah, said the health facilities were located
in Gulak, Michika, Mubi, Maiha, Garkida and Gaanda towns.

The Permanent Secretary, Adamawa Ministry Health, Mr Kennedy Bartimaus, who spoke on the impact of the project in
health sector particularly in rural area, called for its extension to more health facilities in the state

-NAN

BE

– July 26, 2019 16:05 GMT