The Federal Government has stated that there are no immediate plans to ban the importation of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels into Nigeria, despite recent comments suggesting otherwise.
Speaking to Journalists, the Managing Director/CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, clarified that while the government is committed to boosting local manufacturing of renewable energy components, it does not yet have the capacity to meet national demand for solar panels.
“We are not banning solar importation for now,” Aliyu said. “We are incentivising local manufacturing so that, eventually, we can take over. But at this point, we do not have the capacity to meet the country’s needs.”
The clarification comes in response to comments made by the Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, who recently stated that Nigeria was poised to support local solar panel production while restricting imports. Nnaji pointed to efforts by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and other private manufacturers, noting that the government would use Presidential Executive Order No. 5 to prioritise homegrown production.
“With NASENI already producing panels and other private manufacturers active in the space, we can begin to shift our focus away from imports,” Nnaji said. “Through the support of science and technology initiatives, we will strengthen our local industries.”
However, Aliyu stressed that any such shift must be backed by sufficient domestic capacity. He noted that Nigeria has already spent over ₦200 billion on importing solar panels, highlighting the importance of developing homegrown alternatives. During a recent roundtable with the Lagos State Government, he outlined ongoing efforts to promote local production of renewable energy equipment.
“Lagos, being the centre of excellence, is set to lead a drive toward domesticating renewable energy manufacturing,” he said.
Aliyu also revealed that Nigeria currently has a solar panel manufacturing capacity of nearly 600 megawatts and that more projects are in the pipeline. He pointed to ongoing discussions with an oil and gas company planning a 14-stage lithium battery manufacturing project in the Lekki Free Zone, as well as plans for a lithium battery assembly plant.
“These are real investments we’re catalyzing,” he said. “But until we reach the scale required, imports will continue to play a necessary role.”
According to the REA boss, the focus for now is on building local capacity through policy support, investment incentives, and private sector collaboration, not enforcing an abrupt ban that could disrupt the country’s renewable energy goals.
