Nigeria has begun exporting locally manufactured solar panels to Ghana, a landmark step in the country’s push to become a renewable energy manufacturing hub for West Africa, according to Bayo Adelabu, minister of power. Speaking at the Nigeria Energy Forum 2025 in Lagos, Adelabu said the exports mark “the beginning of Nigeria’s participation in regional renewable energy markets,” following the commissioning of new solar manufacturing capacity expected to produce up to four gigawatts annually.
“With this scale of renewable energy production coming online, Nigeria is not only positioned to achieve its domestic energy transition targets, but also to serve regional power markets, which we recently started doing with the export of Nigeria-made solar panels to Ghana,” Adelabu said. The announcement underscores Nigeria’s growing ambition to diversify its energy mix and strengthen its industrial base under President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which prioritises innovation, local content, and economic self-reliance.
Adelabu noted that the development stems from partnerships sealed at the 2025 Nigerian Renewable Energy Innovation Forum, which attracted domestic and international investors to the country’s nascent clean energy manufacturing sector.
The move comes as Nigeria’s government pursues wide-ranging reforms across its power sector, including the unbundling of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, expansion of grid capacity, and the rollout of a national metering initiative, aimed at improving reliability, attracting private capital, and promoting local production. To date, Nigeria has mobilised more than $2 billion through global development partners, including the World Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), to fund renewable energy access and off-grid electrification projects.
Adelabu said that beyond meeting domestic needs, Nigeria’s growing clean energy manufacturing capability could make it a key supplier of renewable energy technologies across West Africa. “We are open to strategic partnerships to mobilise the necessary investments and unlock this potential,” he said.
The minister emphasised that improved investor confidence, policy reforms such as the Electricity Act 2023, and a clear energy transition framework have set the stage for sustained growth in Nigeria’s power sector. As part of broader regional integration efforts, Nigeria plans to leverage its manufacturing base to supply components for solar and mini-grid projects across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), aligning with the bloc’s goal of expanding electricity access and reducing fossil fuel dependency.