By Awyetu Asabe Hope
As Nigeria’s renewable energy market expands amid persistent electricity shortages, regulators and industry stakeholders have moved to strengthen safety standards and technical compliance across the sector.
The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) and the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) have begun a strategic collaboration aimed at improving safety, standardisation and quality assurance in renewable energy installations nationwide.
The initiative comes as solar home systems, mini-grids and other distributed energy solutions continue to spread across homes, businesses and rural communities, raising regulatory concerns over the growing number of substandard installations and uncertified technicians.
The partnership was formalised during a courtesy visit by a REAN delegation led by its President, Ayo Ademilola, to NEMSA headquarters in Abuja, where they were received by the Managing Director and Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation, Olusegun Adesayo.
Ademilola said the collaboration would promote strict compliance with technical standards and ensure renewable energy deployment in Nigeria meets global safety and quality benchmarks.
He noted that REAN, which represents more than 300 stakeholders across the renewable energy value chain — including developers, manufacturers, service providers and researchers — was committed to harmonising local and international standards in the rapidly growing sector.
According to him, the partnership will focus on developing a Renewable Energy Construction and Installation Guideline Manual to provide a unified framework for the design, installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems.
He added that the manual would be periodically reviewed to reflect evolving technologies and industry trends while helping address the challenge of substandard installations that could undermine safety and consumer confidence.
Ademilola also said the collaboration would prioritise capacity building through training programmes, workshops and professional development initiatives to improve the competence of installers, engineers and technicians across the country.
He further stressed the importance of regulatory coordination to ensure renewable energy installations are handled only by certified professionals in order to protect consumers and guarantee the long-term sustainability of renewable energy investments.
On his part, Adesayo reaffirmed NEMSA’s statutory mandate to enforce technical standards and ensure the safety of electrical installations nationwide.
He said collaboration with industry bodies such as REAN was critical as Nigeria expands its renewable energy footprint.
Adesayo added that the partnership would also support public awareness initiatives to educate consumers on the importance of using certified professionals and approved equipment for renewable energy installations.
Both organisations also pledged to deepen cooperation in areas such as research, innovation and emerging technologies, including electric mobility and other sustainable energy solutions.
Despite having an installed generation capacity of over 13,000 megawatts, Nigeria currently delivers only about 4,000 to 5,000 megawatts to the national grid, forcing millions of households and businesses to rely on alternative energy sources.
The situation has accelerated solar power adoption, particularly in off-grid communities and commercial centres seeking cleaner and more reliable electricity.
Stakeholders, however, warn that without strict regulation and standardisation, the rapid growth of renewable energy systems could pose safety risks and undermine public confidence in the sector.
