Despite being Africa’s largest economy and a major energy producer, Nigeria continues to grapple with widespread energy poverty, with an estimated 86.8 million citizens lacking access to electricity, an energy expert has said.
Dr Michael David, Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), describing the situation as a paradox that continues to hinder the country’s development.
According to him, millions of households and businesses still rely on petrol and diesel generators because of unreliable electricity supply.
“The World Bank estimated that 86.8 million Nigerians lived without electricity by the end of 2025,” David said.
He noted that the growing adoption of solar energy across the country demonstrates that renewable energy has become a practical and dependable alternative for homes, businesses, schools, healthcare facilities and government institutions.
David acknowledged Nigeria’s progress in lithium battery manufacturing, local solar panel assembly and the development of critical minerals, but said the country’s production capacity remains too low to meet rising domestic demand.
He urged the Federal Government to adopt a phased industrialisation strategy that combines expanded renewable energy access with stronger local manufacturing.
According to him, achieving this goal will require targeted incentives, affordable financing, technical skills development, increased research and higher product quality standards.
David also said the Electricity Act 2023 has opened new opportunities for state governments to expand electricity generation and promote renewable energy through decentralised power systems.
He stressed the need for policies that would attract investment, strengthen regulation, protect consumers and accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s renewable energy industry.
The GIFSEP executive director further revealed that renewable energy experts have unanimously called on the Federal Government to adopt a National Renewable Energy Industrialisation Roadmap to drive sustainable growth in the sector.
He said the recommendation emerged from a policy dialogue organised by the Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainability Transition (CREST), Bayero University, Kano, in collaboration with GIFSEP.
The dialogue brought together stakeholders from government, academia, the private sector, financial institutions and civil society.
According to David, participants agreed that the proposed roadmap would provide a strategic framework for strengthening local manufacturing, expanding access to affordable solar energy and promoting the long-term growth of Nigeria’s clean energy industry.
They also advocated increased investment in technical education, research, innovation and technology commercialisation to boost local production capacity and reduce dependence on imported renewable energy products.
The stakeholders further recommended that any future restrictions on solar panel imports should be introduced gradually and only after Nigeria has developed sufficient local manufacturing and assembly capacity to meet domestic demand.
Source: NAN
