- Stakeholders at NREIF 2025 reaffirmed Nigeria’s drive to localise the renewable energy value chain through harmonised standards and targeted financing.
- Panellists highlighted new credit facilities, green manufacturing investments, and local production projects to boost industrial growth and reduce import reliance.
At the 2025 Nigeria Renewable Energy Innovation Forum (NREIF), top industry executives, financiers, and government officials reaffirmed Nigeria’s national drive to strengthen the renewable energy value chain through localisation, harmonised standards, and targeted financing.
During the high-level C-suite session, Eyo O. Ekpo, Power Component Team Lead at UKNIAF, moderated a discussion that examined how to close the cost and quality gap between local manufacturers and foreign suppliers. Nzan Ogbe, Chairman of LPV Technologies, urged the government to adopt deliberate policies that safeguard domestic producers, reduce import dependency, and enhance raw material sourcing.
Patrick Walsh, CEO of Sun King, also showcased the company’s progress in local assembly and called for harmonised regulations across states to support efficient scaling. George Ogbonnaya, Vice President and Group Head of Business Banking at FCMB, announced that Nigerian banks now offer ten-year credit facilities to stimulate renewable energy growth. Femi Adeyemo, CEO of Arnergy, stressed the urgency of strict product certification to eliminate substandard imports.
James Tang, President of Huawei Digital Power, Sub-Saharan Africa, reaffirmed Nigeria’s role as a potential regional hub and highlighted Huawei’s investment in over 190 ICT academies and an innovation centre to advance capacity development. Dr Abba Aliyu, Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), confirmed that the agency will prioritise partnerships with states that demonstrate genuine commitment, and commended Akwa Ibom State for its proactive engagement. Panellists agreed that NASENI must focus on research, design, and prototyping rather than commercial-scale manufacturing.
Furthermore, Adedayo Olowoniyi, Chief Technical Advisor to the Minister of Power, asserted that Nigeria cannot depend on import-led energy expansion, as such a model erodes domestic job creation and weakens industrial growth. He reaffirmed that the Electricity Act and the National Integrated Electricity Policy promote localisation, research, capacity development, and value chain integration, insisting that the nation must consume what it produces.
Hon. Stella Okotete, Minister of State representing NEXIM Bank, outlined the bank’s ongoing efforts to deliver concessionary financing and export support for renewable energy manufacturers. She disclosed that NEXIM has financed more than five green manufacturing firms, including battery producers exporting to West and Central Africa, through initiatives such as the Green Export Facility Fund.
In addition, private sector stakeholders, led by Jude-Kingsley Onyeka, President of the Solar Energy Manufacturers and Assemblers Association of Nigeria (SEMA), pledged continued support for local manufacturing that meets international standards. Lazarus Angbazo, CEO of InfraCorp, announced progress on Solarge Nigeria, a one-gigawatt solar manufacturing project co-developed with REA and foreign partners that uses recyclable, locally sourced materials.
The 2025 NREIF concluded with participants affirming that Nigeria’s renewable energy future depends on domestic production, thrives on targeted financing, and requires coherent policies that link energy access to industrialisation and economic competitiveness.