Nigeria Plans $750 Million Mini-Solar Grid Strategy

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

Nigeria's government is planning to invest US$750 million to roll out a rural network of more than 1,300 mini-solar grids.

Ending Decades of Unreliable Power

Nigeria has embarked on a nationwide initiative to roll out more than 1,300 solar mini-grids and off-grid power systems to help electrify poorly served rural areas and boost its renewable energy efforts. 

With US$750 million in backing, the initiative overseen by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is hoping to deploy 1,350 solar mini-grids across the country, including 250 interconnected systems that will feed power directly into Nigeria's national grid. The plan is to help what the government called "underserved communities" that have spent decades living with unreliable power supplies, with millions of homes and businesses relying on diesel generators to keep the lights on. The REA said that the initiative will attract US$1.1 billion in private investment in rural areas. Industrial Info is tracking 53 large-scale solar projects in Nigeria worth almost US$11 billion in investment. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can click here for the reports. 

The Government's Take

REA Managing Director Abba Aliyu said the program represents a landmark moment in Nigeria's 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 US$750m project that will catalyse US$1.1 billion in private sector funding to deploy 1,350 mini-grids across the country." In an interview with NTA Network, he added: "For the first time in the history of the country, the federal government is positioning the renewable energy sector of the Nigerian economy as the  alternative source of electricity in the country. It's the easiest and most economically viable means of powering the country and we have an abundance of renewable energy sources.  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is positioning Nigeria now to be the renewable hub of Africa and there is a structured program which will see 17.5 million Nigerians (20% of the population) provided with electricity in just three years."

Who DARES Wins

Nigeria has already rolled out more than 1,000 mini grids, with more than half financed by the REA. More than 200 were deployed in 2025, and the country's Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project has also received major funding from the World Bank, which wants to see a mix of solar mini grids with storage systems alongside standalone solar (SAS) replace more than 250,000 diesel generators.  According to the Global Solar Council, Nigeria installed 803 megawatts (MW) of new capacity in 2025, bringing total cumulative solar capacity to approximately 1.19 gigawatts (GW). 

Mission 300

The World Bank, and other partners, have already invested more than US$50 billion to cut the numbers of people without electricity in Africa--roughly 600 million people--by half. The ambitious Mission 300 plan aims to bring electricity to 300 million people by 2030. The World Bank has committed to connecting 250 million Africans to power with the other 50 million coming from the African Development Bank (AfDB). Since its announcement in January 2025, the scheme has delivered power to 44 million people. 

Nigeria's Energy Mix

Nigeria's electricity generation is dominated by gas-fired power and about 23% coming from renewables. The vast majority of that comes from hydropower with solar power supplying the rest. The country's long-term goal is to be net-zero by 2060, but in the shorter term it is aiming for 30% of its power to come from renewables by 2030 and 82% by 2050. Most of the new power is expected to come from solar power projects, with the country aiming to have 209 GW by 2050.

Key Takeaways

• Nigeria's government is forging ahead with a US$750 million plan to bring solar power to rural areas.
• It is aiming to deploy 1,350 solar mini-grids, including 250 interconnected systems, that will feed power back into Nigeria's national grid. 
• Industrial Info is tracking 53 large-scale solar projects in Nigeria worth almost US$11 billion in investment. 

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