By Abdullahi Lukman
Nigeria is pursuing an ambitious energy transition plan aimed at generating 209,000 megawatts of electricity from solar power by 2050, as 53 large-scale solar projects worth about $11 billion are currently underway across the country.
According to a report by IIR, the projects form part of a growing renewable energy investment pipeline designed to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity supply, diversify its energy mix, and improve access to power, particularly in underserved communities.
The Federal Government is also expanding rural electrification through the deployment of more than 1,300 solar mini-grids and off-grid power systems under a programme led by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
The initiative includes 250 interconnected mini-grids that will feed electricity into the national grid to improve stability and reduce dependence on diesel generators.
The programme is supported by $750 million in public funding and is expected to attract an additional $1.1 billion in private sector investment. REA Managing Director, Abba Aliyu, described the initiative as the largest publicly funded renewable electricity project globally.
He said the project would facilitate the deployment of 1,350 mini-grids nationwide and provide electricity to about 17.5 million Nigerians within three years.
Aliyu added that the government is positioning renewable energy as a viable alternative source of electricity and aims to make Nigeria a renewable energy hub in Africa.
Nigeria has already deployed more than 1,000 mini-grids nationwide, with over half financed by the REA.
The country’s Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up programme, backed by the World Bank, is further accelerating rural electrification through solar mini-grids, standalone systems and energy storage solutions.
The initiative is expected to replace more than 250,000 diesel generators while expanding access to clean and reliable electricity.
Data from the Global Solar Council showed that Nigeria added 803 megawatts of solar capacity in 2025, increasing the country’s total installed solar capacity to about 1,019 megawatts.
Nigeria’s renewable energy drive aligns with wider continental efforts, including the World Bank-supported Mission 300 programme, which seeks to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
Since its launch in January 2025, the initiative has reportedly provided electricity access to 44 million people across Africa.
Although gas-fired power plants remain Nigeria’s dominant source of electricity generation, renewable energy currently contributes about 23 per cent of the country’s energy mix, largely through hydropower and solar installations.
The Federal Government aims to increase renewable energy’s contribution to 30 per cent by 2030 and 82 per cent by 2050 as part of its energy transition strategy and commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.
