Investors from the United States, United Kingdom, and China are closely watching Nigeria as the country rolls out a $750 million solar mini-grid initiative aimed at expanding electricity access and attracting large-scale private investment, Business Insider Africa reported.
The programme is being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency under the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) initiative. According to APA News, the project is expected to mobilize about $1.1 billion in additional private sector investment to support the expansion of decentralized renewable power systems.
Under the plan, Nigeria intends to deploy about 1,350 solar mini-grids, including roughly 250 interconnected systems that will feed electricity directly into the national grid. The initiative aims to provide reliable power to around 17.5 million people, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, described the programme as one of the world’s largest publicly funded renewable electrification projects, designed to address Nigeria’s power deficit while accelerating the shift toward decentralized clean energy.
Analysts say the scale of the initiative is drawing strong interest from global investors and energy developers, positioning Nigeria as a rapidly expanding market for distributed solar infrastructure across Africa.
