The Solar Power Nigeria Campaign has applauded the Federal Government for choosing to strengthen domestic solar panel production before imposing restrictions on imported products.
Michael Terungwa, Co-Convener of the campaign and Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), expressed the group’s position in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday night.
Terungwa said the government’s decision would help prevent an immediate increase in solar equipment prices while creating opportunities for Nigeria’s renewable energy sector to grow.
He also praised the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, for advocating a gradual shift towards locally manufactured solar panels and components.
According to him, a phased approach would ensure that households, businesses and public institutions continue to access affordable energy while the country develops its manufacturing base, creates employment and reduces dependence on foreign supplies.
Terungwa recalled that the minister had recently disclosed plans by the government to expand domestic production of solar panels and related components as part of efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in the sector.
He noted that the government’s position aligned with recommendations consistently advanced by the Solar Power Nigeria Campaign and its partners throughout 2026.
“In April, media training on renewable energy reporting, which GIFSEP organised with the solar power Nigeria partner’s warned that an outright import ban can worsen energy poverty.
”They called for a phased roadmap over three to five years. One study cited at the event found that 85 to 89 per cent of Nigerians opposed an immediate ban.
”In July, at the Kano Solar Dialogue 2026, which GIFSEP co-organised with the Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainability Transition (CREST) at Bayero University Kano, stakeholders called for a National Renewable Energy Industrialisation Roadmap.
”Its pillars were incentives for local manufacturing, affordable financing, technical training, stronger quality standards and gradual import substitution,” he said.
The campaign co-convener maintained that the government’s current direction had addressed several concerns raised by industry stakeholders and could produce significant economic and social gains.
He added that strengthening local production while maintaining access to imported solar equipment would support energy affordability, stimulate industrial growth and create a more sustainable pathway for Nigeria’s renewable energy transition.
