Rural Electrification Policy and Economic Empowerment in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

This study investigates the relationship between rural electrification policy and economic empowerment in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. Access to electricity is widely recognised as a foundational enabler of economic activities including agro-processing, small enterprise development, and educational achievement. Despite successive government rural electrification programmes, many communities in Kwara State remain without reliable electricity supply. Drawing on the capability approach and energy poverty literature from 2020 to 2024, the study adopts a descriptive survey design. A sample of 235 rural households, small business operators, and community leaders is drawn from four local government areas in Kwara State using stratified random sampling. Data are collected using structured questionnaires and supplemented with interviews with Rural Electrification Agency officials. Descriptive statistics and simple regression analysis are employed. Findings are expected to show that irregular power supply, poor infrastructure maintenance, and exclusion from the national grid limit the productive use of energy and constrain income generation opportunities for rural dwellers. The study also assesses the potential of renewable energy mini-grids and solar home systems as policy alternatives. Recommendations will target accelerating off-grid energy deployment, improving maintenance funding, and linking energy access policy to broader rural development programming in North Central Nigeria. Keywords: rural electrification, economic empowerment, energy access, Kwara State, rural development