Abuja — The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has signed a partnership agreement with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to deepen the use of locally made solar products in Nigeria’s electrification drive, as part of efforts to implement President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Nigeria First Policy.
The agreement, facilitated by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), will see NASENI supply locally manufactured solar solutions for REA’s rural electrification projects across the country.
Speaking after the signing, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, disclosed that Nigeria spent over N400 billion importing solar products in 2025 alone, with more than N200 billion already spent so far in 2026 — figures he described as proof of the wide production gap the country must close.
“These numbers tell us how much money is leaving the country for products we can manufacture here,” Halilu said, stressing that the partnership is designed to cut down import dependence, create jobs, and strengthen Nigeria’s energy security.
He explained that the deal builds on NASENI’s ongoing investment in Nigeria’s first 40-hectare Solar Industrial Park located in Gora, Nasarawa State. According to him, the facility is being developed to scale up local solar panel and component manufacturing, meet the country’s growing energy demand, and position Nigeria as a renewable energy production hub in Africa.
Halilu added that the collaboration between NASENI and REA shows how government agencies can work together to turn policy into action that drives industrialisation and economic growth, rather than leaving such pronouncements on paper.
Why It Matters
This partnership matters because it puts a price tag on a problem many Nigerians already suspect but rarely see in figures — the country is spending hundreds of billions of naira yearly importing solar equipment it has the raw materials and manpower to produce locally.
With over 80 million Nigerians still lacking reliable access to electricity, off-grid solar solutions have become one of the fastest-growing ways communities and businesses get power. But if most of that equipment keeps coming from China, India, and Europe, Nigeria loses twice — first by spending scarce foreign exchange, and second by missing out on the jobs, skills, and industries that come with manufacturing those products at home.
By directing REA’s electrification contracts toward NASENI-made solar products, the government is using its own purchasing power to create demand for local manufacturers — a strategy that, if sustained, could help local solar factories grow, attract investment, and eventually export to other African countries facing similar energy gaps.
Brief Analysis
On paper, the NASENI-REA deal sounds like a straightforward win for the Nigeria First Policy, which prioritises local content in government procurement. However, the real test will be in execution.
Nigeria has had similar local content pushes before — in oil and gas, telecoms, and even earlier renewable energy schemes — where good intentions struggled against poor funding, weak enforcement, and the higher upfront cost of locally made goods compared to cheaper imports.
For this partnership to genuinely reduce the N600 billion-plus import bill recorded in just 18 months, NASENI’s Solar Industrial Park in Gora must move from concept to consistent, large-scale production. It also means the quality and pricing of locally made panels, inverters, and batteries must be competitive enough that REA and other agencies do not eventually fall back on imports for reliability reasons.
There is also the question of capacity. Nigeria’s rural electrification needs are massive, covering thousands of unserved and underserved communities. One industrial park, however large, may not be enough to meet that demand without complementary investment in raw material sourcing, skilled labour, and component supply chains — particularly for items like solar-grade glass and battery cells, which Nigeria currently has limited capacity to produce.
Still, analysts following Nigeria’s energy transition would see this as a step in the right direction — one that, if backed by sustained funding and strict enforcement of local content rules, could gradually shift Nigeria from being a major importer of solar technology to becoming a credible regional manufacturing base, as Halilu envisions.