'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - In a move aimed at transforming Nigeria's energy landscape, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to expanding electricity access to 16.2 million Nigerians. This ambitious pledge was made during the just-concluded Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where African leaders collectively endorsed the Dar es Salaam Declaration to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
Highlighting Nigeria’s roadmap to achieving universal energy access, President Tinubu revealed that the World Bank’s $750 million Distributed Energy Access initiative will focus on deploying mini-grids and standalone solar systems to reach the underserved population. The programme, implemented in collaboration with Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency (REA), is expected to bring electricity to millions of Nigerians, addressing the nation’s long-standing energy deficit.
“Providing reliable and affordable electricity is not just a necessity; it is a right,” President Tinubu stated in a speech read by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu. “As Nigeria’s President, I am committed to making energy access a top priority.”
President Tinubu underscored the substantial international support Nigeria has secured to bolster its energy infrastructure. He highlighted key projects such as: African Development Bank (AfDB) Contributions, $1.1 billion to electrify 5 million people by 2026, $200 million for the Nigeria Electrification Project to reach 500,000 people by 2025, and a $700 million Desert-to-Power initiative.
The Energy Storage Systems, a $500 million investment in grid battery energy storage systems, set to power an additional 2 million people.
Private Sector Investment of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced $70 million for Nigerian Renewable Electricity Service Companies (RESCOs) under the Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) programme.
Together, these investments represent a unified strategy to bridge Nigeria’s electricity gap and align with the government’s goal of universal energy access by 2030.
At the Summit, Nigeria unveiled its National Energy Compact, which outlines key reforms and targets to drive energy access. These include:
Expanding power generation capacity. Investing in transmission and distribution infrastructure. Promoting distributed renewable energy solutions like solar mini-grids. Developing clean cooking solutions to improve last-mile access. Encouraging private sector participation to unlock additional funding.
The document estimated that achieving last-mile electrification in Nigeria would require $23.2 billion in investments, drawing contributions from both the public and private sectors.
Despite Nigeria's rich energy resources, millions of its citizens remain without access to reliable electricity. President Tinubu lamented this situation as "unacceptable" and called for collective action among African nations. He stressed that ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s energy sector, including policy incentives for renewable energy and infrastructure upgrades, are already yielding results, with over $6 billion in new energy investments secured in 2024 alone.
The federal government is also developing an electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure programme, integrating renewable energy solutions. Tinubu announced that the first 100 electric buses have already arrived in the country as part of this initiative.
President Tinubu’s participation in the Dar es Salaam Summit reflects Nigeria's leadership role in Africa’s energy transformation. He praised global development partners such as the AfDB, World Bank, and United Nations Sustainable Energy for All for their support and called for sustained collaboration to “create a brighter future where every African can access reliable and affordable energy.”
The President’s ambitious energy agenda, which includes expanding solar power, building financial sustainability in utilities, and addressing regional integration challenges, signals a renewed commitment to solving Nigeria’s energy crisis. With robust international support and strategic domestic reforms, 2025 could mark a turning point for millions of Nigerians awaiting access to electricity.
