The Federal Government of Nigeria has formalized an agreement with the European Union (EU) and the German Government, securing £17.9 million to support the country’s off-grid electricity project. This initiative is part of the third phase of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), aimed at promoting investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and rural electrification.
Launched in 2013, the NESP is a collaborative technical assistance program co-funded by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, with implementation support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Power.
At the launch and steering committee meeting for NESP III, Inga Stefanowicz, Head of Section for Green and Digital Economy at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, emphasized the importance of stakeholder involvement in achieving a cleaner energy future. She highlighted the program’s goals, which include providing electricity access to 154,000 people, connecting 30,000 individuals to clean cooking gas, and generating an additional eight megawatts of renewable energy.
Stefanowicz stated, “As we are launching this third phase, there is more for us ahead… Achieving just energy transition is a business for all stakeholders.” She reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s energy security plans and sustainable energy future through increased renewable energy investments.
Johannes Lehne, Deputy Ambassador of the German Embassy in Nigeria, reiterated Germany’s dedication to helping Nigeria meet its energy transition targets. He noted that the third phase of the NESP received €8.9 million from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in May and welcomed the EU’s recent commitment of an additional €9 million, bringing the total budget to €17.9 million.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman, remarked that the project aims to close the electricity access gap affecting approximately 100 million Nigerians. He stressed the significance of renewable energy in addressing the challenges of electrifying unserved rural communities.
Duke Benjamin, Head of Program at NESP, underscored the project’s focus on providing electricity to rural areas not connected to the national grid, reflecting the ongoing electricity challenges Nigeria faces. Despite various interventions, the national grid has collapsed multiple times this year, with Nigeria generating only about 5,000 megawatts of electricity for its over 200 million population.
