If Africa is to define its future through energy, then the imperative is the industrialisation of scale, a bold, systemic commitment to powering production, not just consumption. As of 2022, Nigeria’s population was estimated at over 200 million by the National Bureau of Statistics (Demographic Statistical Bulletin, 2022). Looking ahead, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) projects this figure will surpass 400 million by 2050, positioning Nigeria as one of the most populous nations on earth. This demographic trajectory makes it clear: we do not need electrification for its own sake. We need it to catalyse industrial growth, drive productivity, and embed resilience into every layer of our economy. We either build frameworks that deliver sustainable, inclusive, and industry-driven energy access now, or we risk entrenching cycles of energy poverty, economic stagnation, and climate vulnerability.
The Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) Project, building on learnings from the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), recalibrates how we conceive, implement, and sustain electrification in emerging markets. It represents the convergence of three imperatives: sustainability, impact, and systemic change. It is also structured to be bold in ambition, meticulous in execution, and catalytic in impact. It is our blueprint for scale, one designed to outlast political cycles, outgrow donor dependency, and outlive the conventional lifespan of development programmes.
What’s New in Nigeria DARES?
DARES represents a generational leap from the foundational gains of the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). While
NEP demonstrated proof of concept, DARES brings proof of scale. It introduces new sub-components that target systemic
barriers and sectoral gaps including:
- • Public Institutions Interconnected Solar Hybrid Power Project: Building on the foundation laid by the Energizing Education Programme (EEP), this initiative ensures that federal public institutions are powered by reliable and sustainable energy, transforming them into resilient hubs for learning and research, health care, and service delivery. This intervention leverages the Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) model, marking a shift from traditional Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contracts, where obligations typically end upon completion of construction of the project. Under EaaS, Energy Service Companies (ESCo) drive financing and assume long-term responsibility for plant operations, thereby embedding sustainability, performance accountability, and financial viability into the lifecycle of each project. This model relieves the Federal government and host institution of full financial burden, and allows for private sector investment, thereby ensuring that infrastructures are actively managed for long-term impact.
- • Subnational Interventions Solar Solutions: The Subnational Interventions sub-component of Nigeria DARES is a direct response to the decentralised vision of the Electricity Act 2023, which empowers states to play a more active role in their electrification journey. This sub-component enables states co-design and co-implement solar electrification solutions for critical public institutions, which are central to service delivery and state development goals. Through strategic partnerships with state governments and the establishment of clear processes for engagement, DARES is institutionalising state-level electrification planning while ensuring alignment with national electrification goals. By moving states from beneficiaries to active co-architects of energy access projects, the Subnational Interventions project aims to catalyse sustainable, state-led energy ecosystems that can be scaled and maintained as long-term infrastructure solutions.
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• Standalone Solar (SAS) Component: The Standalone Solar (SAS) component has adopted a targeted
approach to expanding energy access, building on lessons learned from the Output-Based Fund sub-component under the
just-concluded NEP. The implementation methodology under the SAS component is structured as follows:
- i. SHS Supply-Side Subsidy: distributes Tier 1 and Tier 2 plug-and-play solutions to remote parts of Nigeria. Leveraging geospatial data analytics, the country has been segmented by Local Government Areas (LGAs), with higher grant rates allocated to hard-to-reach locations, while urban areas have been excluded from subsidy eligibility entirely.
- ii. Solar for Business: targets energy-as-a-service (EaaS) solutions for MSME clusters and agro-processing zones. The objective is to drive energy independence and displace fossil fuel-powered generators.
- iii. Productive Use of Energy (PUE) Technologies: This sub-component supports the deployment of productive-use appliances and equipment, particularly for smallholder farmers to enhance agricultural productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, eliminate inefficiencies from fossil fuel-powered appliances, and contribute to national food security through improved processing and storage solutions.
- • Isolated Mini-Grids: Isolated mini-grids continue to serve as a lifeline for deep rural communities where grid extension could boost rural economic development. What distinguishes the DARES project is its differentiated incentive structure, calibrated to reflect the complexity and remoteness of each site. Higher grant allocations are offered to developers willing to electrify hard-to-reach, underserved communities, thereby aligning commercial incentives with social equity goals. While these areas often hold untapped economic potential, particularly in agriculture, trade, and microenterprise, the absence of reliable power has historically constrained their development. These mini-grids are now positioned as enablers of rural industrialisation and local economic resilience.
- • Interconnected Mini-Grids: The interconnected mini-grids deployed under the Nigeria DARES are designed to interface with the national grid, thereby bridging the historical divide between off-grid and on-grid electrification. These systems are being deployed in peri-urban or grid-adjacent communities, where distribution infrastructure may already exist or is projected to expand. By building grid-compatible systems from the ground up, DARES is laying the foundation for a more resilient national grid, one that can absorb decentralised generation and deliver reliable power.
Most importantly, Nigeria DARES strengthens institutional capacity. We are investing in our systems, our people, and our local ecosystems so that the ability to scale is innate. If sustainability is about what endures, then it must live in the very architecture of our programme.
From Impact to Transformative Change
Impact is not measured by the number of installations, but by the lives transformed. Under the Nigeria Electrification Project, now through DARES, we are powering schools, health centres, agricultural communities, and MSMEs. We are lighting communities, enabling students to study at night, clinics to store vaccines, and farmers to process their harvests.
But transformation requires depth and structure. That is why our model embeds livelihood restoration, community engagement, and productive use of energy (PUE) strategies as non-negotiable pillars. Electrification, in our approach, is not a standalone intervention. It is an engine for industrialisation, job creation, and local value addition. It is a deliberate effort to move rural and peri-urban communities from subsistence to enterprise, from consumption to production, and from access to economic empowerment.
Nigeria DARES (WB DARES) as a Replicable Model
Nigeria DARES, the pilot DARES, funded by the World Bank, provides a replicable playbook for other African nations as an African-led, context-specific model that integrates decentralized energy solutions with strong policy alignment, private sector engagement, and catalytic financing.
We are implementing regulatory innovations, piloting new business models such as Energy-as-a-Service (EAAS), and facilitating financing mechanisms that lower risk and unlock scale. Our approach leverages the credibility of global partners like the World Bank, private-public synergies, and rooting solutions in national development priorities.
Alignment with Mission 300
The Nigeria DARES Project is also central to advancing Nigeria’s commitment under the Africa Energy Compact, signed alongside 11 other nations at the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit. The Compact sets a bold target: a 9% annual increase in electricity access between 2024 and 2030. Nigeria DARES is listed as a committed and ongoing initiative within the Compact, and it embodies the core pillars of that pledge. Through its private sector-led models, emphasis on last-mile connectivity, and tailored delivery frameworks, Nigeria DARES is a Compact-aligned mechanism accelerating universal access.
What Comes Next
The operationalisation of DARES has already commenced in communities, institutions and hospitals that need it the most, with preliminary tests and activities already concluding. These milestones are reflections of an institutional mindset committed to scale, equity, and excellence.
But this is not a moment for self-congratulation. It is a call to deepen ambition and sharpen execution. We must continue to ask hard questions: Are we listening to the communities we serve? Are we building for future climate realities? Are we empowering developers to innovate, not just comply? How will Africa Industrialise?
In a world of ambitious declarations and sporadic delivery, Nigeria is offering a grounded, evidence-based roadmap. One where sustainability is embedded, impact is authentic, and systemic change is real.
And if there is a blueprint for Africa’s electrification frontier, this just might be it.
