Nigeria Boosts Solar Manufacturing Capacity to 300MW

Nigeria has significantly expanded its solar manufacturing capacity to 300 megawatts (MW) from 120 MW two years ago, with plans to reach 837 MW by 2025. This progress is attributed to deliberate policies directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, focusing on local content development and domestic manufacturing.

The Rural Electrification Agency's Managing Director, Dr. Abba Aliyu, highlighted that Nigeria's first policy aimed at driving a structural shift towards domestic manufacturing has gained momentum, reinforced by an investment of approximately $425 million to establish eight renewable energy manufacturing facilities across the country. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is evolving its regulatory framework to support the growth of the sector, enabling projects with decentralized interconnect mini-grids.

Nigeria is also beginning to realize its potential as a regional supplier of solar panels, with exports already occurring to Accra, Ghana. The upcoming Nigeria Renewable Energy Innovation Forum (NREIF) 2.0 will focus on positioning Nigeria as a central hub for renewable energy manufacturing and innovation across Africa.