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Odyssey is proud to serve as the official digital platform for DARES (Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Solutions), Nigeria’s most ambitious distributed energy initiative to date. Led by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and funded by the World Bank, DARES will deliver electricity access to 17.5 million Nigerians by deploying thousands of solar mini-grids and standalone solar systems across the country.
As the successor to the highly impactful Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) — also implemented by REA with World Bank support — DARES builds on a legacy of innovation and commitment from REA, which has become a global leader in designing and executing large-scale clean energy programs. Under NEP, over 100 solar developers brought clean energy to rural communities, catalyzing private sector investment and proving that distributed renewables can be deployed at scale in hard-to-reach areas.
With DARES, REA is raising the bar even higher. The program is expected to install up to 1,500 mini-grids and 1.5 million solar home systems — making it the largest World Bank distributed electrification initiative ever undertaken.
To meet this ambition, DARES will again use the Odyssey platform as its digital backbone. Developers will submit and manage their projects through Odyssey, where REA can efficiently evaluate proposals, track performance, and disburse results-based finance payments. The platform will also serve as a long-term monitoring system, ensuring transparency, accountability, and real-time visibility into thousands of systems deployed under the program. In another DARES innovation, Odyssey’s digital tools are deployed alongside those of VIDA, providing participating companies with robust geospatial intelligence and site identification tools.
Odyssey’s involvement in DARES underscores how crucial technology is to scaling clean energy access efficiently and transparently. Odyssey provides end-to-end support for electrification initiatives, from streamlined application workflows to automated data validation, which allow governments and financiers to manage large, complex electrification efforts with confidence.
As DARES rolls out, it offers a model for electrification programs across emerging markets, where over 700 million people still lack access to power. By combining visionary policy leadership, international funding, and digital infrastructure purpose-built for energy access, the sector can unlock the scale and speed needed to close the energy access gap.
We’re honored to continue our partnership with REA and excited to support the implementation of DARES as it brings life-changing energy to millions.
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