- BudgIT Foundation, Publish What You Pay, and the Rural Electrification Agency are currently determining the modalities for providing electricity access.
- The Technical Advisor to the Managing Director of REA, Waziri Muzamil, warned that over 20 million Nigerians would not have access to electricity if nothing is done between 2025 and 2030.
BudgIT Foundation, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) are currently determining the modalities for providing electricity access to over 20 million Nigerians.
At a stakeholders’ roundtable in Abuja, themed: ‘Promoting Renewable Energy Adoption in Nigeria’, experts highlighted the nuances, challenges, and solutions to clean energy advancement in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, Enebi Opaluwa, head of BudgIT’s natural resource and climate governance programme, said the roundtable provided a robust platform for stakeholders to discuss practical steps to enhance clean energy penetration.
“We had critical players from the federal ministry of environment, REA, Customs, and the Energy Transition Office (ETO). A key takeaway was the need for greater policy alignment, especially regarding tariffs and import protocols for renewable energy equipment,” Opalua said.
He noted that while the cost of renewable technologies is falling globally, access to financing remains a major bottleneck in Nigeria, worsened by volatile exchange rates and gaps in policy clarity on tariffs and duty waivers.
Also speaking, Elissa Danladi, national coordinator of Publish What You Pay Nigeria, underscored the need for community inclusion in energy transition plans.
“For us, renewable energy adoption is a pathway to a just transition. We believe that local communities must not be left behind in renewable energy adoption,” she said.
“We want to see sustainability plans, proper fund utilisation by agencies like the REA, and the translation of policies into real, actionable projects.”
Danladi added that PWYP and BudgIT are working on a research report to flesh out the roundtable’s recommendations into a structured policy and investment action roadmap.
Moreover, the Technical Advisor to the Managing Director of REA, Waziri Muzamil, warned that over 20 million Nigerians would not have access to electricity if nothing is done between 2025 and 2030.
Noting that stakeholders have already identified the least cost model towards the electrification of all Nigerians, he disclosed that analysis has revealed that $23 billion is required between now and 2030 to bridge the access gap.
Waziri said, “By 2030, we would have over 20 million Nigerians who would not have access to electricity if nothing is done. So, right now, at REA, the financing to bridge that gap in terms of cost is $23 billion, and that is the least cost model if you are taking electricity to all communities.”