The president of the Rockefeller Foundation organizes productive meetings to implement an ambitious 300 m project

Nigeria’s leadership in closing energy gaps and transitioning to clean energy systems has positioned it as a key player in Africa. Due to its significant electricity access gap, Nigeria represents a key opportunity for the $300 million project.

Recognizing Nigeria’s potential, Rockefeller Foundation President Raj Shah led a high-level delegation to the country. They are focused on expanding energy access and accelerating Nigeria’s transition to clean and affordable energy. The visit, hosted by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) CEO Damilola Ogunbiyi, is part of a broader initiative to ensure universal access to sustainable energy across Africa.

To accelerate the implementation of the $300 million project, this visit focused on two broad areas of work; establishing stronger partnerships and showcasing projects and innovations.

• Creating stronger partnerships.

President Shah met with key government officials, including representatives from the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the Energy Transition Office, who are leading the implementation of Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, and Nigeria’s pioneering Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Action (SPEC). ), Ajuri Ngelale. Discussions focused on lessons learned from Nigeria’s successful energy access programs that will inform the World Bank and African Development Bank’s Mission 300 initiative to provide electricity to 300 million Africans. Key takeaways from these discussions highlighted the need to attract more funding for developers, remove regulatory obstacles to the development of mini-grids, establish a framework for equipment for productive use, and prioritize domestic African developers in tendering systems for the provision of sustainable energy services. Additionally, Shah met with Finance Minister Wal Edun to discuss Nigeria’s leadership role in the World Bank’s African Club and explore opportunities for partnerships to mobilize other African countries to reduce the energy access gap on the continent.

The Development Partners Roundtable also brought together key stakeholders to discuss ways to accelerate progress towards achieving sustainable energy access in Nigeria. REA and the Nigeria Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) program presented their work, highlighting the key role of collaboration, innovative financing solutions and improved data collection for informed project planning and decision-making.

During a separate roundtable with the private sector investor community, the key issue of financing Nigeria’s energy transition was raised. Discussions focused on identifying creative financing options to replace reliance on polluters, and included risk allocation, currency matching, blended financing, supportive policies and attracting investment in pension funds.

• Showcase innovations in the field and unlock existing challenges.

The delegation visited the impressive interconnected mini-grid in Toto, Nasarawa State, which currently serves over 1,500 connections and significantly reduces carbon emissions. The delegation also inspected a 3.3 MWp solar and storage project at the University of Abuja, part of the Energy Education Program (EEP) aimed at providing sustainable energy to federal universities. Notably, 20 female STEM students received training under the project at the University of Abuja, underlining the commitment to building a skilled and diverse workforce in the renewable energy sector.

The special roundtable, jointly convened by members of AllOn and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), provided Mr. Shah with a platform to gain a deeper understanding of the obstacles faced by mini-grid developers and their financiers. The meeting provided valuable insights from All On’s

RMI’s Demand for Renewable Technologies (DART) Connection Program and Energy Agricultural Program (EAP) will play a pivotal role in shaping future strategies.

The visit ended with a book reading and a fireside chat with Mr. Shah. The event provided a platform to discuss his experiences and the urgent need for bold action and investment in climate resilience and energy access.

“After two days in Nigeria, I am amazed at the country’s potential to address this crisis and turn it into a massive transformation of the economy that increases access to energy, changes lives, uplifts women and girls and shapes a new future, not only for Nigeria, but for the continent.

“Rockefeller is in this for the long haul, and we are committed to working with partners in Nigeria and across the continent to ensure that we reach 300 million people by 2030 with the energy that will change their lives forever.” – Raj Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation

“During their visit to Nigeria, SEforALL and its partners highlighted the incredible progress that has been made to address energy gaps in the country. However, there is still much work to be done in Nigeria and across Africa, and that is why I am excited to work with Rajiv Shah, the Rockefeller Foundation and other partners to achieve the goal of providing energy access to 300 million Africans by 2030. Working together, we can achieve this goal and even more.” – Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO, Sustainable Energy for All