By Danjuma Amodu | 31 January 2026
The Federal Government, through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), is intensifying efforts to capture the economic value of Nigeria’s growing renewable energy market, amid concerns over heavy reliance on imported hardware.
Despite the country’s advanced decentralised energy framework, about 80-90% of renewable energy equipment is still imported, according to REA Managing Director, Dr Abba Aliyu.
Aliyu stressed the need for local manufacturing, skills transfer, and strategic market structuring to drive job creation, build industries, and retain economic value within Nigeria.
Nigeria is making strides in renewable energy, with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) partnering with Sun King to boost local manufacturing and expand energy access. This collaboration aims to substitute imports worth $150 million over the next five years and create thousands of jobs.
The REA has also secured $1.6 billion in funding to advance renewable energy projects, with plans to electrify over 17 million Nigerians through the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) initiative.
Additionally, Nigeria is focusing on domesticating technology and industries for renewable energy, with the REA pushing for local manufacturing of solar panels and energy-efficient appliances.
