Figure 1 Identification badge of a member of the REA Zambia delegation during the REA Zambia and REA-NEP Knowledge Sharing Mission, held on 2 July 2026.

Figure 2 Odegua Ofoegbu, Donor Coordination and Private Sector Specialist, delivers a presentation during the REA Zambia and REA-NEP Knowledge Sharing Mission.

The Nigeria Electrification Programme’s Project Management Unit (PMU), walked the delegation through the business models utilised under DARES, including the public-private partnership framework, the design and implementation of results-based financing mechanisms, grant calibration methodologies, and the digital monitoring platforms used to track project performance.

The discussions also explored one of the most persistent challenges facing off-grid energy deployment across Africa: grid encroachment, as well as the systems Nigeria has established to minimize conflicts between grid expansion and private-sector mini-grid investments.

For many rural electrification programmes, deploying infrastructure is only half the challenge. Ensuring that projects remain financially viable years after commissioning is often the greater test.

Speaking during the knowledge exchange, the Head of the Nigeria Electrification Programme, Mr. Olufemi Akinyelure, explained that sustainability must be deliberately engineered into every stage of project design.

According to him, one of Nigeria's key innovations has been the development of an integrated national solar project mapping platform. This geospatial system enables stakeholders across government and development partners to register and monitor renewable energy projects nationwide.

"An integrated solar project mapping tool that everyone keys into is essential," he said. "It strengthens coordination, improves monitoring, and helps prevent duplication of projects within the same communities."

Beyond technology, Mr. Akinyelure emphasised that long-term sustainability depends on developing local economies around energy infrastructure.

"Powering productivity is critical," he noted. "Every deployment must include the right mix of residential, commercial, and public users. That balance improves revenue collection, supports economic activity, and ultimately makes projects sustainable."

He further stressed that effective coordination across institutions, combined with innovative technology, remains central to ensuring that distributed energy investments continue delivering value long after implementation.

For Zambia, the visit offered practical insights into programme execution, from procurement and financing structures to monitoring systems and private sector engagement, that could help strengthen delivery under the ASCENT programme.

For Nigeria, the engagement reinforces its growing role not only as an implementer of large-scale renewable energy programmes, but also as a source of technical expertise for other African nations pursuing universal energy access.

Beyond presentations and technical discussions, the Nigerian delegation sought to remind visitors that electrification is ultimately about people rather than infrastructure.

At the conclusion of the visit, Mr. Akinyelure presented members of the Zambian delegation with copies of the New Energies: Human Stories Beyond the Data photobook, a publication documenting the real-life impact of the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electrification Project through the voices and experiences of beneficiaries across the country.

For Zambia, the visit delivered practical insights into programme execution, spanning procurement and financing structures, monitoring systems, and private-sector engagement, that can directly strengthen delivery under ASCENT. For Nigeria, it reinforces a growing role not only as an implementer of large-scale renewable energy programs but also as a continental source of technical expertise for nations pursuing universal energy access.

As Africa's electrification challenge grows more urgent, knowledge-sharing missions such as this are converting individual national successes into collective continental progress.