Nigeria has attracted $155 million in new clean energy commitments as the Rural Electrification Agency ramps up efforts to establish the country as Africa’s leading hub for renewable energy and a model for knowledge exchange across the continent.
The Managing Director of the REA, Abba Aliyu, announced the milestone on Friday, saying the deals reflect rising global confidence in Nigeria’s off-grid power sector.
According to Aliyu, the country secured an $80 million debt facility targeted at scaling up solar home systems and power solutions for small businesses. In a separate agreement, UK-based clean energy firm MOPO signed a $75 million deal with the REA to roll out a smart battery programme nationwide.
Aliyu credited the inflows to recent reforms in the electricity sector, which he said have made Nigeria more appealing to international investors focused on decentralized energy.
Citing the newly released Sub-Saharan Africa Clean Energy Market Outlook 2026 by BloombergNEF, he said Nigeria is now described as the largest and fastest-growing market in the region for distributed solar and small-scale renewables. The report, he noted, highlights the $80 million debt package as evidence of that momentum.
He also pointed to growing interest from other global operators. WeLight, which currently runs close to 190 mini-grids in Madagascar and Mali and serves more than 800,000 people, has indicated plans to enter the Nigerian market.
“These significant capital commitments show that international financiers and developers no longer see Nigeria as high risk,” Aliyu said. “They now view it as the most bankable and scalable off-grid energy market in Africa.”
Beyond investment, Aliyu said Nigeria is beginning to play a leadership role in cross-border collaboration on rural electrification. The REA has received delegations from Mozambique and the Zanzibar Utilities Regulatory Authority, and is expecting a team from Sierra Leone next week.
He described the engagement with ZURA as a sign of how far the agency has come, noting that discussions covered both achievements and challenges, including financing strategies, grid stability, operations, and lessons learned in scaling off-grid systems.
“Africa will reach universal energy access much faster through bold collaboration than by countries working in isolation,” he said. “When one nation succeeds, the whole continent moves forward.”
Aliyu said the Sierra Leone visit is part of a growing pipeline of exchange missions, and described the current period as a turning point for shared progress on energy access in Africa.
