Nigeria launches $750m mini-grid solar initiative, attracts US, UK, China investors
Nigeria has launched an ambitious $750 million renewable electrification programme aimed at expanding electricity access through solar mini-grids and off-grid power systems, a move officials say could unlock over $1.1 billion in private investment and reshape the country’s energy landscape.
The initiative, being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), is expected to deploy 1,350 solar mini-grids nationwide, including 250 interconnected systems that will feed power directly into Nigeria’s national grid.
Speaking in Abuja during a visit by a delegation from the National JudicialInstitute, REA Managing Director Abba Aliyu described the programme as a landmark intervention in Nigeria’s decades-long struggle with 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.
Officials believe decentralised solar systems could provide a faster and cleaner solution for underserved communities, particularly in rural areas where extending the national grid is expensive and slow.
Aliyu said the mini-grid programme is designed to provide electricity to communities currently outside the grid while strengthening existing infrastructure by integrating some of the new solar installations directly into the national power network.
Beyond rural electrification, the REA is also expanding solar power projects through its Energising Education Programme, which provides dedicated renewable electricity to universities and teaching hospitals.
According to Aliyu, 15 large solar projects have already been completed under the initiative, including installations capable of supplying entire campuses.
“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.
“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 global investors, the scale of Nigeria’s solar rollout signals growing opportunities in Africa’s largest economy, particularly as governments across the continent accelerate the transition toward decentralised and renewable power systems.
With its combination of public funding, private investment incentives, and expanding infrastructure projects, Nigeria’s latest energy push could become one of the most closely watched renewable programmes in emerging markets.
