- Renewable energy stakeholders have urged FG to delay any ban on imported solar panels until local manufacturing can meet market demand.
- Industry experts warned that an immediate ban could increase electricity costs, slow renewable energy adoption and worsen Nigeria’s electricity deficit.
Renewable energy stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to delay any ban on imported solar panels. They warned that an immediate restriction could worsen Nigeria’s electricity crisis and make clean energy more expensive
The experts made the recommendation on Wednesday, August 6, 2026, at the Lagos Solar Forum. The Secure Energy Project organized the event under its Solar Power Nigeria campaign. Participants came from government, private companies, universities, civil society and development partners.
Instead of an outright ban, they recommended a phased transition backed by a national renewable energy roadmap. They argued that Nigeria should strengthen local manufacturing before introducing import restrictions.
According to the stakeholders, domestic production remains too limited to meet growing demand. A sudden ban could create supply shortages. It could also increase prices and slow Nigeria’s transition to renewable energy.
Speaking at the forum, Secure Energy Project’s Nigerian Campaign Director, Joseph Ibrahim, said Nigeria still depends heavily on imported solar equipment. He explained that only two companies currently assemble solar panels locally, and both rely on imported components.
Ibrahim said the organization created the Secure Energy Project to identify policy barriers slowing the clean energy transition. He added that the forum’s recommendations would form part of a policy brief for the Federal Government as discussions on the proposed import restriction continue.
Meanwhile, rising demand has increased pressure on the solar market. Ibrahim linked the trend to the removal of the petrol subsidy in 2023, which pushed many households and businesses to seek cheaper and more reliable energy alternatives.
He also said plans to gradually remove electricity subsidies could further increase demand for solar technologies. For that reason, he urged the government to avoid policies that could disrupt access to affordable equipment.
Rather than imposing an immediate ban, Ibrahim proposed a transition period of between five and 10 years. He said Nigeria could adopt a model similar to the cement industry’s backward integration policy by encouraging local production while allowing imports to continue.
He also called for a national renewable energy roadmap. The plan should include clear short-, medium- and long-term targets. In addition, he urged manufacturers, universities and research institutions to work together. He said stronger collaboration would improve local technology and expand production capacity.
Senior Director of the Secure Energy Project, Chris Kiff, said the forum aimed to improve coordination among organizations working to expand energy access. Although many groups already run renewable energy programmes, he noted that they often operate independently.
Kiff encouraged stakeholders to strengthen partnerships, share knowledge and develop joint policy recommendations. He said better coordination would increase the sector’s influence on government decisions and speed up renewable energy deployment.
Also speaking, Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), Dr David Michael Terungwa, described energy poverty as one of Nigeria’s biggest development challenges. Citing a 2025 World Bank report, he said about 86.8 million Nigerians still lack access to electricity.
Terungwa noted that higher fuel prices have made solar energy a more attractive option for households and businesses. However, he warned that banning imported solar equipment would increase costs because Nigeria still imports almost all its solar panels, batteries, inverters and related components.
Instead, he urged the Federal Government to support local manufacturers through tax incentives, financing and investment in domestic assembly plants. He also encouraged state governments to use the opportunities created by the Electricity Act 2023 to develop state electricity markets and expand decentralised renewable energy projects.
Providing an overview of the sector, Africa Energy Tracker co-founder Daniel Awolaja said Nigeria attracted about $100 billion in disclosed energy investments across 422 projects over the past decade. That figure ranks the country second in Africa after South Africa.
Despite that investment, Awolaja said electricity supply remains inadequate because funding has focused mainly on power generation. He explained that transmission, distribution and energy storage have received far less investment.
Although Nigeria has about 14 gigawatts of installed generation capacity, the national grid consistently delivers only around five gigawatts. As a result, nearly 90 million Nigerians still lack reliable electricity.
Awolaja added that petrol and diesel generators now produce far more electricity than the national grid. He also noted that oil and gas attracted almost 92 per cent of disclosed energy investments over the past decade, leaving renewable energy and grid infrastructure with only a small share.