The Nigerian federal government’s proposal to ban the importation of solar panels has drawn sharp criticism from energy expert Theophilus Nweke, who warned that the move could backfire without proper infrastructure and technological readiness.

Speaking at the 2025 Lagos Energy Summit, Nweke, CEO of Cloud Energy, expressed doubts over the feasibility of the plan, urging the government to instead prioritize effective governance and create a supportive environment for private-sector growth in the renewable energy industry.

The proposed ban, unveiled by Minister of Science and Technology Uche Nnaji, is aimed at boosting local production of solar panels.

Nnaji stated that the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has already begun manufacturing solar panels, and private companies are actively involved in assembling them.

The initiative falls under the Presidential Executive Order No. 5, which encourages local industrial development.

“With NASENI here, you know that we have panels.

It has a factory that has started producing solar panels, and other private individuals are also producing solar panels as we speak.

Through science and technology, and through our Presidential Executive Order No. 5, we will stop all these importations of solar panels.

We will support our local industries to grow,” Nnaji said.

But Nweke countered the minister’s claims, arguing that Nigeria lacks the facilities to manufacture key components like solar wafers and solar cells, which are essential to full-scale solar panel production.

“Solar wafers are not produced from silicon in Nigeria.

Solar cells are not produced in Nigeria.

So, how will the minister enforce a ban on imports?

The companies assembling solar panels in Nigeria are importing cells for assembly—they are not even working from wafers,” Nweke said.

He pressed further, questioning the government’s readiness to implement such a policy in the absence of local high-tech factories.

“Do you have a solar wafer factory?

Do you have a solar cell factory?

Can you show us where those factories exist?

The technology needed to locally manufacture solar panels is simply not in place,” he added.

Rather than pushing for import bans, Nweke advised the government to focus on enabling frameworks that encourage private-sector involvement.

One of his key recommendations is the creation of a renewable energy intervention fund that would offer low-interest loans to operators and citizens seeking access to solar energy.

“The government can create a renewable energy fund at low-interest rates to allow operators like Cloud Energy to access it.

This will enable private companies to deploy renewable energy solutions across Nigeria,” he said.

His comments come at a time when Nigeria is ramping up efforts to tackle its persistent energy crisis.

A recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), China Energy Engineering Corporation Ltd (Energy China), and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum seeks to establish a Nigeria-China Renewable Energy Research Centre.

The center will focus on driving innovation and capacity development in the renewable energy space.

While the government’s policy signals a desire to support domestic industry, experts like Nweke argue that ambition must be matched by investment in the right technologies, realistic timelines, and strategic partnerships to avoid creating more problems than solutions.