The Federal Government, through the Rural Electrification Agency, has signed a strategic partnership with global off-grid solar company, Sun King, to boost local manufacturing, expand renewable energy access, and save Nigeria up to $150 million in solar imports over the next five years.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed during the Nigeria Renewable Energy Innovation Forum in Abuja, was witnessed by Vice President Kashim Shettima and Sun King’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Walsh.
The agreement underscores Nigeria’s growing commitment to industrialise its clean energy sector through private–public collaboration.
“With the right enabling support from REA and wider government, Sun King estimates that its planned local manufacturing facilities could substitute imports worth $150 million over the next five years. In parallel, the partnership will promote structured dialogue between the public and private sectors on the conditions necessary to build a thriving local manufacturing ecosystem, the statement read.
The vice president said the Tinubu administration was determined to attract more private investment into renewable energy by improving incentives and removing regulatory bottlenecks.
“To unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s energy transition, we need the private sector, our industrialists, innovators, and financiers, to take bold steps forward,” he said.
“We are enhancing incentives for local manufacturing, streamlining regulatory frameworks, and deepening collaboration with state governments and development partners to de-risk private capital and accelerate the growth of a self-sustaining renewable energy market.”
The partnership will focus on three key areas, local manufacturing and value addition, data-driven collaboration, and joint advocacy for off-grid solar as a core pillar of Nigeria’s energy transition.
Under the local production component, Sun King and REA will work together to domestically assemble solar panels, home systems, and energy-efficient appliances such as freezers and televisions. This move supports the Federal Government’s Nigeria First policy, aimed at creating jobs and reducing dependence on imported energy products.
Sun King estimates that with the right incentives and regulatory support, local production could replace imports worth $150 million within five years, while generating thousands of direct and indirect jobs in manufacturing, logistics, and after-sales service.
REA Managing Director, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, said the collaboration would “link energy access, industrial growth, and supportive policy into one unified push for Nigeria’s clean-energy future.
