Nigeria—Nigerian Rural Electrification Policy—2005
The Nigerian Rural Electrification Policy—2005 aims to achieve rural access to electricity through the cost-effective use of grid and off-grid approaches as well as standalone systems (GIZ, 2015). The Federal Government of Nigeria, in recognition of the potential for renewable energy sources to facilitate extension of electricity services, has installed more than 115MW of off-grid solar-based and PV/wind hybrid systems across the country (GIZ, 2015). The Power Africa project of the United States Agency for International Development is providing support to 14 Greenfield photovoltaic projects totaling over 1125 MW of power (USAID, 2017). Also, initiatives such as Solar Nigeria supported by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development have powered more than 180,000 homes since mid-2015 (Thisday, 2016).
The Federal Ministry of Environment initiated a Renewable Energy Program as part of its national strategy to fulfill its obligation to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change and meet its Paris Agreement greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Through the program’s rural energy access project, solar-based and biomass-to-energy projects are planned for several states in Nigeria (Federal Ministry of Environment, 2014).
Nigeria made a commitment to the Paris Agreement to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% (unconditional) and 45% (conditional) compared to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. A key measure that the country identified in its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to meet its mitigation objectives is to generate 13,000MW of electricity by means of off-grid solar PV, and to expand rural electrification services through decentralized, cost-efficient renewable energy solutions. This strategy has the potential to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 31 million tonnes per year by 2030 (UNFCCC, 2015). An important objective of the Nigerian Rural Electrification Policy (NREP) and its National Rural Electrification Implementation Strategy and Plan—2014 is to decentralize rural electrification and use renewable energy options wherever cost-effective and feasible to increase rural access to electricity; hence the NREP will contribute substantially toward meeting Nigeria’s INCD Pledge.
The Nigerian Rural Electrification Policy—2005 can be replicated and scaled in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. This is because of the similar power challenges experienced by countries in the region as well as similar socioeconomic/cultural attributes and climatic conditions. Renewable electricity generation is financially attractive for the region and particularly so for households that are not connected to the national electricity grid. There is also the potential for many small and medium scale entrepreneurs to find work in the sector (UNFCCC, 2015).
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Nigeria’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions is available here: http://www4.unfccc.int/ndcregistry/PublishedDocuments/Nigeria%20First/Approved%20Nigeria%27s%20INDC_271115.pdf
More information on rural electrification in Nigeria can be found at: https://www.giz.de/en/downloads/giz2015-en-nigerian-energy-sector.pdf
More information on USIAD Power Africa projects in Nigeria can be found here: https://www.usaid.gov/powerafrica/nigeria
The news article on Solar Nigeria is available at: http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/09/08/92000-nigerian-homes-electrified-with-solar-power-in-six-months/
More information on the Renewable Energy Programme of the Federal Ministry of Environment is available here: http://renewableenergy.gov.ng/projects/