Nigeria has unveiled a $750 million renewable electrification programme designed to expand electricity access through solar mini-grids and off-grid power systems, a plan officials say could attract more than $1.1 billion in private investment and significantly reshape the country’s energy sector.
The initiative is being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and will see the deployment of 1,350 solar mini-grids across the country.
Of these, 250 will operate as interconnected systems that supply electricity directly into Nigeria’s national grid, Business Insider Africa reported.
Speaking in Abuja during a visit by a delegation from the National Judicial Institute, REA Managing Director Abba Aliyu described the project as a major milestone in the country’s effort to tackle long-standing electricity shortages.
“For the first time, we are witnessing the implementation of the biggest publicly funded renewable electricity project in the entire world. It is a $750 million project that will catalyse $1.1 billion in private sector funding to deploy 1,350 mini-grids across the country,” Aliyu said.
Despite years of reforms and investment in the electricity sector, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, still struggles with unreliable power supply.
As a result, millions of households and businesses rely on petrol and diesel generators, increasing operating costs and raising environmental concerns.
Government officials say decentralised solar systems offer a faster and cleaner alternative for communities that remain underserved by the national grid, particularly in rural areas where expanding grid infrastructure can be costly and slow.
Aliyu explained that the mini-grid programme aims to electrify communities currently without grid access while also strengthening the broader power system by integrating some of the new solar installations into the national electricity network.
In addition to rural electrification, the REA is expanding renewable power projects through its Energising Education Programme, which provides dedicated solar electricity to universities and teaching hospitals.
According to Aliyu, 15 large solar installations have already been completed under the initiative, including systems capable of powering entire campuses.
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“In one of the projects, we deployed 12 megawatts in a single university to power the campus, the teaching hospital, and even the water treatment plant through a new distribution network,” he said.
Solar systems have already been installed at several federal institutions, including the University of Maiduguri, Federal University Gashua in Yobe State, and the Federal University of Agriculture Akure.
Other universities benefiting from the programme are located across Nasarawa State, Kogi State, Imo State, Ebonyi State, Rivers State, Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State.
Aliyu said eight additional large solar projects are planned, targeting institutions such as the University of Lagos, the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital, the University of Nigeria Nsukka, the University of Benin, Federal University Wukari in Taraba State, and Federal University Dutse in Jigawa State.
The federal government is also expanding renewable power for public institutions through the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative, which Aliyu said has received ₦100 billion in funding, equivalent to roughly $74 million based on recent exchange rates.
The programme is intended to cut electricity costs for government agencies while improving power reliability in critical facilities.
Installations have already started at several institutions, including the Department of State Services, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and the National Hospital Abuja.
Aliyu added that more educational institutions will be included as the programme expands, part of a wider strategy to stabilise electricity supply across Nigeria’s public sector.
“The essence of that programme is to provide intervention for public institutions that are underserved or facing difficulty paying for the electricity they consume,” he said.
For international investors, the scale of Nigeria’s solar expansion highlights growing opportunities in Africa’s largest economy, especially as governments across the continent accelerate the shift toward decentralised and renewable energy systems.
With a combination of public funding, incentives for private capital, and large-scale infrastructure projects, Nigeria’s latest renewable push is likely to become one of the most closely watched energy programmes in emerging markets.
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