Our vision of industrializing, growing economies of KEDCO States is on course-Gwamna
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna, says the company is on track towards achieving the vision of industrialization and economic turn-around of KEDCO States through available power distribution.
Gwamna who said this in a media chat with newsmen, noted that since there was a correlation between power supply and industrialization, KEDCO had taken it as a responsibility in line with its vision to grow the economy of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States through constant power distribution.
He said five years ago, the company had set the vision of ensuring that as long as manufacturing and small-scale industries pay up their bills, KEDCO would strive to live above board by not giving excuses in power distribution.
According to him, that vision is on course as hundreds of small and micro as well as macro industries are springing up in especially Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States.
In an attempt to ensure the realization of the vision in the concerned states, the DisCo boss said: “ we were able to improve our power distribution capacity to customers from 220MW inherited to 344MW within the years under review. As a result of that, a lot of industries are springing up and the cost of manufacturing has been drastically reduced because the environment conducive for manufacturing is being created by KEDCO.
“one key achievement of the company lies in its efforts at assisting the government in its rural electrification programs by improving power supply to rural communities to boost the agricultural sector by ensuring a complete improvement of the value chain in the sector.
From our research, we have discovered that most of the rural areas we have distributed power to have one or two locally-fabricated machines for processing agricultural produce which is adding more monies to the people in the rural areas’’ he said.
The KEDCO boss added that the company was also empowering women and youths across Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States so as to make them self-reliant and make them major players in the task of improving the standard of living as well as reducing poverty.
Hajiya Zainab Mohammed, a fish farmer in Katsina said the improvement in power supply was growing her business as she was making more money at home by farming and selling fish.
“I now use my oven to bake fish and supply to major markets and I have also employed people to work for me in that regard.
“I appreciate the fact that this is constant supply of power which has reduced the cost of powering my oven and other equipment I use in fish farming. I am so happy and that’s why I don’t play with my bills. I pay up regularly to avoid any disconnection.
Mr. Timothy Audu, a young cobbler from Jigawa State, said: “this power supply should be sustained. We have been able to make life meaningful for ourselves as youths and I encourage other youths to take advantage of this to create jobs for themselves.
Malam Abdullahi Ahmed, a tomato farmer in Kano, confirmed to newsmen that artisans were now fabricating local processors in rural areas to add value to agricultural produce, adding that the gesture of distributing power to rural communities was improving the economies of rural communities and changing the massive rural-urban migration. He therefore appeal to customers to cultivate the habit of paying up their bills as a way of encouraging KEDCO to do more in reaching more communities with power distribution.
