Nigeria’s Household Gets £16.7m UK Boost for Solar Systems
The United Kingdom has approved a whooping £16.7 m to upscale Nigeria’s household solar systems. This household solar systems project is coming on the backdrop of previous contributions geared at the provision of solar lighting and power systems for as many Nigerian homes as possible.
The Project tagged “Solar Nigeria is an initiative of The United Kingdom Department for International Development. The UK Department for International Development approved the grant for SolarNigeria programme aimed at scaling the market for solar home lighting and power in Nigeria to enable millions of Nigerian households experience reliable power by 2020, enabling millions of Nigerian households to experience reliable power for the very first time.
It can be recalled that pilot programmes in 2015 provided capacity building grants of £1.5 million to 16 companies. And this year, there are also plans for a financing pilot to provide £0.5 million in grants in other to mobilise the provision of commercial finance into the value chain for household scale solar light and power systems.
An additional 49,000 homes across Nigeria acquired solar lighting and power systems in just three months this year with help from Solar Nigeria, an innovative programme that helps solar suppliers and financiers scale up and allow households to access this equipment on full commercial terms.
Head of consumer markets for Solar Nigeria, Leigh Vial stated that, “Millions of Nigerian households could today save money while enjoying bright light and clean power using solar instead of kerosene lanterns and small generators. So why do they not already use it?
“They need someone trustworthy to make quality solar products available to them in their village, and they need to be able to pay for it over time. This requires capable companies to invest in the market, to reach the customers, and to enable financing,”
The aim of the Solar Nigeria Programme is to scale up the private market for small solar lighting and power systems. The programme which is funded by UKAID, will help millions of Nigerian households (and micro-enterprises) to access modern, clean, lighting and power at lower cost than kerosene lanterns and small generators.
These homes now enjoy bright light and reliable power at lower cost than kerosene and generators. More than 14,000 of the homes benefitting are in Nigeria’s northern states, where grid deficiencies and the need for reliable power are the most acute.
Consequently, a number of banks and solar specialists will be invited to apply for the grant in the next pilot scheme, while SolarNigeria will help capable solar vendors and financiers to rapidly expand their capacity to reach consumers with financed solar solutions
All systems were accessed on full commercial terms, with the householder paying cash, taking a loan, or renting the equipment.