Precious Anga
Lagos — Stakeholders in Nigeria’s renewable energy industry have called for a coordinated approach involving utilities, private investors, mini-grid developers and regulators to bridge the country’s electricity access gap, insisting that no single institution can provide reliable power to the more than 17.5 million Nigerians targeted under the Rural Electrification Agency’s (REA) latest energy access programme.
The experts made the call during a panel discussion titled “Who Will Power Nigeria Next? Utility Partnership, Private Power and Mini-grid Market” at Solar & Storage Live Nigeria 2026, organised in collaboration with the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN).
Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Ashdam Solar, Damilola Asaleye, said Nigeria’s growing electricity demand has outpaced the capacity of any single organisation, making collaboration across the electricity value chain indispensable.
“Nigeria’s energy demand is now so large that no single organisation or institution can solve the country’s electricity challenges alone. Utilities, mini-grid developers and private-sector operators must work together because each has a clearly defined role in addressing energy poverty,” she said.
Asaleye explained that while electricity distribution utilities would continue to serve as the backbone of Nigeria’s power infrastructure, decentralised renewable energy systems would become increasingly important in extending supply to underserved communities.
“Utilities remain critical because they power our major cities and will continue to do so. However, even urban centres such as Lagos still experience energy poverty. The national grid must therefore be complemented by interconnected mini-grids and other decentralised solutions,” she stated.
She described the commissioning of Nigeria’s first interconnected mini-grid as proof that utility operators and mini-grid developers can successfully work together to expand electricity access.
“The private sector remains the backbone of investment and innovation. It mobilises capital, structures projects and delivers solutions from development to implementation, while mini-grid developers continue to provide electricity in rural communities and locations where grid expansion is either not feasible today or unlikely in the foreseeable future,” Asaleye added.
She also welcomed the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) net-billing framework, describing it as a major policy milestone capable of creating a more integrated electricity market.
“Consumers can now become both producers and users of electricity by feeding excess solar energy into the utility network. Nigeria’s energy challenge cannot be solved through one technology or one approach. Solar home systems, mini-grids and interconnected grids all have important roles to play,” she said.
Commending the REA’s ambition to provide electricity access to 17.5 million Nigerians, Asaleye stressed that achieving such an ambitious target would depend on sustained collaboration across the public and private sectors.
“Delivering electricity to 17.5 million Nigerians will require multiple organisations working together in different capacities, attracting finance, building partnerships and sustaining the conversations needed to transform the sector,” she noted.
Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp Energy Limited, Christopher Ezeafuluke, said the Electricity Act has fundamentally changed Nigeria’s electricity landscape by creating opportunities for state regulators and encouraging greater renewable energy deployment.
“The Electricity Act has opened a genuine pathway for reform. State electricity regulators are now emerging alongside the national regulator, with some already introducing policies requiring distribution companies to source part of their electricity from renewable energy. Although implementation has been slower than expected, the market is moving in the right direction,” he said.
According to Ezeafuluke, demand from businesses and consumers is now driving renewable energy adoption faster than regulation alone.
“The legislation laid the foundation, but businesses and consumers are creating the momentum. The industry is gradually moving away from total dependence on the national grid, compelling utilities to embrace partnerships and alternative electricity solutions,” he stated.
Drawing on his experience in the utility sector, he said electricity distributors had long recognised that they could not economically serve every community in the country.
“The sector has finally accepted that conventional utilities cannot cover the entire Nigerian market alone. That reality is encouraging alternative solutions, including what many now describe as the solarisation of Nigeria. Ultimately, every solution points towards one objective—improving electricity access, which remains fundamental to economic growth and national development,” Ezeafuluke added.
Associate Vice President, Commercial, at Orlando Clean Energy, Engr Godwin Onwubolu, said commercial and industrial electricity users primarily assess power supply based on availability, reliability, quality and affordability.
“Large commercial and industrial customers operate continuous production processes that cannot tolerate interruptions. They require electricity that is consistently available, reliable, of good quality and competitively priced. Unfortunately, many are abandoning the grid because those conditions are not always guaranteed,” Onwubolu said.
He argued that current electricity tariffs remain burdened by technical and commercial losses, making grid electricity less attractive for major industrial users.
“This remains a challenge for conventional utilities, but it is one that can be overcome. In the future, interconnected micro-grids established by commercial and industrial customers will strengthen the wider electricity network and improve overall supply reliability,” he explained.
Onwubolu, however, stressed that Nigeria must invest heavily in reducing energy theft, strengthening transmission infrastructure and improving operational efficiency before the full benefits of interconnected electricity systems can be realised.
“Legislation alone will not solve the problem. Nigeria must also build the technical capacity, infrastructure and operational capability required to manage a modern, interconnected electricity market,” he said.
Managing Director of WATT Renewable, Oluwole Eweje, said collaboration rather than competition would define the future of Nigeria’s electricity sector.
“Interconnected mini-grids will become a defining feature of Nigeria’s electricity landscape. Utilities will remain the backbone of the system, but private developers and mini-grid operators must work alongside them if the country is to achieve universal electricity access,” Eweje said.
He described the country’s first interconnected mini-grid as a clear indication of the direction Nigeria’s electricity market is heading.
“Real progress will depend on developing practical business models that enable utilities, private investors and mini-grid developers to collaborate effectively in delivering reliable electricity to millions of Nigerians,” he concluded.
