Nigeria Targets 209,000MW Power Capacity with $11 Billion Solar Investment Pipeline

Nigeria is positioning itself to become Africa’s renewable energy hub, targeting a massive expansion to 209,000 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity by 2050. According to a new industry tracking report by Industrial Info Resources (IIR), the country currently has 53 large-scale renewable solar power projects underway, valued at an estimated $11 billion.

The utility-scale pipeline is being matched by a major push into decentralized electrification. The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is leading a nationwide initiative to deploy over 1,350 solar mini-grids and off-grid systems to bring clean power to rural and underserved communities. This includes 250 interconnected mini-grids built to feed electricity directly into the national grid to stabilize the country’s power supply.

The mini-grid expansion is backed by $750 million in public funding and is expected to pull in an additional $1.1 billion in private sector investment.

REA Managing Director Abba Aliyu highlighted the global scale of the initiative, noting that it represents the largest publicly funded renewable electricity project in the world. He stated that the structured program aims to provide reliable electricity to 17.5 million Nigerians about 20% of the population within just three years.

Nigeria has already made steady progress on the ground, with over 1,000 mini-grid systems successfully installed across the country. Data from the Global Solar Council shows that Nigeria added 803MW of solar capacity in 2025 alone, bringing its total installed solar footprint to approximately 1,019MW.

While gas-fired thermal plants continue to generate the bulk of Nigeria’s electricity, renewable energy sources primarily hydropower and solar now make up about 23% of the current national energy mix.

The federal government has set an official target to increase renewable contributions to 30% by 2030, and 82% by 2050, as part of its broader long-term energy transition and 2060 net-zero emissions commitments.