Innovative Interconnected Minigrid Partnerships Deliver Reliable Electricity, Boosting Economic Growth for Underserved Nigerians
A new report from RMI and GEAPP analyzes key learnings and insights from the first wave of operational interconnected minigrids (IMG) in Nigeria, outlining recommendations for future IMG deployment.
Abuja, Nigeria – May 13, 2025, Today, RMI, in collaboration with from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), released a new report, Partnerships for Power: Unlocking Scale for Interconnected Minigrids in Nigeria. Backed by real-world data, this report presents the key learnings and insights from over three years of supporting four pioneering interconnected minigrids (IMGs) pilot projects, distilling critical insights and offering actionable recommendations for stakeholders to accelerate and scale the deployment of these solutions. A webinar offered tomorrow, May 14 at 2 PM WAT, will delve deeper into the report’s findings.
In Nigeria, 75% of the population — an estimated 150 million people — grapple with no or unreliable access to electricity. The national grid meets a mere 20% of the country’s demand, forcing reliance on costly and polluting fossil fuel generators. Interconnected minigrids, which integrate distributed energy resources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and battery storage with existing grid infrastructure, offer a transformative solution by improving reliability, reducing costs, and expanding energy access. By combining power from the main grid with locally generated renewable energy, IMGs enhance reliability at a lower cost than current fossil fuel alternatives (self-generation fuel cost at 600–650 NGN/kWh or US$0.40/kWh–US$0.43/kWh). The new report highlights the successful deployment of the first four operational IMGs in Nigeria, which have added 3 megawatts of solar PV capacity and 3 megawatt-hours of battery storage, serving approximately 6,300 connections in urban and peri-urban areas across Nigeria.
“This report underscores the immense potential of IMGs to revolutionize energy access in Nigeria and provides a roadmap for scaling IMGs, ensuring faster, more cost-effective deployment to serve millions more Nigerians,” said Suleiman Babamanu, RMI’s Nigeria program director. “The initial IMG projects demonstrate that through strong partnerships between developers and DisCos, we can deliver reliable and affordable electricity to communities while creating mutually beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders.”
The report distills key lessons learned from these pioneering projects, presenting data-driven insights on project costs, timelines, construction, and operations. It identifies key challenges hindering faster deployment and offers targeted recommendations focused on project preparation, cost optimization, grid infrastructure development, regulatory frameworks, and institutional capacity building.
“IMGs offer a scalable win-win-win solution, empowering communities through collaboration between utilities and mini grid developers, while strengthening energy systems – a critical step toward the mission to power 300 million Africans by 2030,” said Muhammad Wakil, GEAPP’s country delivery lead for Nigeria. “Through strategic partnerships and data-driven insights, we can unlock IMGs’ full potential to accelerate energy access that can drive growth and generate jobs for Nigeria and the continent. This initiative demonstrates the transformative power of collaboration – proof of what we can achieve when we unite behind a shared vision to create lasting impact.”
Join Our Webinar:
To delve deeper into the report’s findings and hear real-world experiences from DisCos, developers and experts, RMI and GEAPP will host a webinar tomorrow, Wednesday, May 14th, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. West Africa Time (9:00 to 10:30 a.m. ET).
Register for the webinar here: https://rmi.org/event/webinar-partnerships-for-power-the-first-wave-of-interconnected-minigrid-projects-in-nigeria/
For media inquiries please contact:
Benson Kibiti, Sr. Strategic Communications Manager – RMI, E: bkibiti@rmi.org or RMI’s media team media@rmi.org
Annette Mutuku, Director Communications, Africa – The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), E: annette.mutuku@energyalliance.org
Notes to Editors
RMI’s Ije Ikoku Okeke, Managing Director of Catalytic Climate Capital and the Global South; Suleiman Babamanu, Nigeria Program Director; and GEAPP’s Muhammad Wakil, Country Delivery Lead for Nigeria are available for comment.
About RMI
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to secure a prosperous, resilient, clean energy future for all. In collaboration with businesses, policymakers, funders, communities, and other partners, RMI drives investment to scale clean energy solutions, reduce energy waste, and boost access to affordable clean energy in ways that enhance security, strengthen the economy, and improve people’s livelihoods. RMI is active in over 60 countries. Find more information at www.rmi.org and follow us on LinkedIn @RMI.
About Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is an alliance of philanthropy, governments in emerging and developed economies, and technology, policy, and financing partners. Our common mission is to enable LMIC’s shift to a clean energy, pro-growth model that accelerates universal energy access and inclusive economic growth, while supporting the global community to meet critical climate goals during the next decade. As an alliance we aim to reduce 4 gigatons of future carbon emissions, expand clean energy access to one billion people, and enable 150 million new jobs. With philanthropic partners, IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, GEAPP works to build the enabling environment, capacity, and market conditions for private sector solutions, catalyze new business models through innovation and entrepreneurship, and deploy high-risk capital to encourage private sector solutions, and assist just transition solutions. For more information, please visit www.energyalliance.org and follow us on LinkedIn.
