The Federal Government, in partnership with private sector investors, is rolling out fresh initiatives to boost local battery production and expand access to cheaper, cleaner fuel alternatives.
Nigeria’s journey towards cleaner, affordable, and sustainable energy received a boost as key industry players unveiled new initiatives aimed at bridging the country’s energy gap, creating jobs, and localising technology production.
Speaking at the launch of a mobile solar generator and youth bootcamp on Thursday, the CEO of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, revealed that the Federal Government is taking decisive steps to boost local battery and solar component production.
He said, “Nigeria is very rich in terms of mineral resources. We have lithium in almost every state in the country. And it baffles us why Nigeria is still important for lithium battery, the government is actually taking a huge step in localising and domesticating our technology.
“We are talking to so many investors to come and scale up and generate and start producing those batteries in here in the country.
“We’ve taken a huge step. Last week, I was in China and also in London to sign the final investment decision to sign an MOU with the largest producers of solar components. They are coming to this country to set up factories to start producing this.”
Abdullahi further said, “Nigerians are going to start producing, localising our technology, not just relying on China or on foreign export. The day we start producing in mass, Mr. President is ready to ban the importation of anything, whether it’s lithium batteries or even solar panels into the country, because we are taking a practical step.
“The Energy Commission of Nigeria already has a pilot. We have a pilot solar panel in this factory in this country, solar modules that produce about 10,000 kWh in a year, but that is too small.
“That is why we are bringing investors to come and scale that up, because already the market is there.”
The energy commission CEO added, “Investors are coming to me, are coming to other agencies to say they are ready to invest in this country.
“And don’t forget that Mr. President is also committed to integrating our energy generation in this country. He spoke directly to the people that I want to give you 30 per cent on our energy mix to be renewable from the renewable energy. That means our strategy is on solar, is on wind, and is on hydro, not on gas anymore.”
Also speaking, the CEO of Citibim Nigeria Limited, Abdul Gbadamosi, emphasised the need for innovative solutions to Nigeria’s energy crisis.
“Nigeria struggles with energy access. As you all know, generators are very prevalent in our businesses and households. Our team has taken the challenge of trying to provide a solution, which is the mobile solar generator that we are launching today. During the course of innovation, we struggled a lot with access to skills in the local economy,” he said.
He explained that the company is not only providing energy solutions but also building local capacity in emerging technologies.
“We looked at it and said, is it not possible for us to develop local skills in AI, geo-intelligence, and virtual reality? That is why we are organising this Bootcamp today, so that we can encourage youths that there are a lot of opportunities in sustainability, in the green revolution, energy access, and of course, the digital revolution.
“It will definitely create career pathways for them in innovative technologies. Of course, there are a lot of jobs that people are not aware of.
Gbadamosi highlighted that the company’s solar model allows users to generate income, turning clean energy into an economic opportunity.
He said, “The aspect of our solar solution is that we have made it very easy for banks and financiers to support these people in acquiring the system. Not only that, we have also made the system in such a way that you can actually generate income.
“Just like our POS merchants generate income from transactions, you can generate income from clean energy transactions, where you can rent capsules to people in your immediate neighbourhood and make up to N20,000 to N30,000.
“We are creating an opportunity for people to generate income, and we are creating access to energy in the areas where they are doing business.”
Gbadamosi stated that, “We are training about 120 youths, including corp members, students and people who are also on their young career pathways. We want to enable these skills so that as we expand, we have more people that we can employ who can support our growth agenda.
“We have the support of the government, we have the support of the international players, and we also have our internal capabilities to develop them.”
On the natural gas front, Investment Facilitation Coordinator, Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, Jide Awolowo, disclosed the progress being made to provide Nigerians with cheaper fuel alternatives.
He said, “We have converted over 100,000 cars. What the PICNG is supposed to do is move people away from petrol. So as you know, once the fuel subsidy was removed, petrol prices became much more expensive. So the President was thinking, how can I provide a cheaper, cleaner option for the Nigerian public? That’s how the PICNG came about.
“We have 100,000 cars already converted now, and we’re aiming to convert about a million by 2027. I think we’ve been seeing some impact in the sector.
“We had about 11 fuel stations for CNG. Now we have over 60. We’re expecting another 175 to come in by the end of the year. We have also attracted over $1bn in investments by the private sector. This is not even by the Nigerian government in the sector, which shows you that the sector is very viable, and a lot of people are jumping on the CNG bandwagon.”
Awolowo further said that currently, there are over 300 conversion centres, adding that there is also an influx of new people entering the sector who require employment.
“We have over 300 conversion centres right now. There are more people coming into the sector. Conversion centres need to be set up for you to employ these people. Yes, we are training them for the future. By 2027, we’re expecting to have over 10,000 conversion centres. If you have 10,000 conversion centres and you don’t have people to key into work for these conversion centres, then it doesn’t make any sense.
“While we are waiting for these conversion centres to set up, we have to be training our youth so that there is a ready labour market for them to draw from.
“It will take time, but I am sure that we will get there. We have a great team. We are partnering with a number of universities to even train students in the art of the CNG technology just so we can hand it over to them”, he added.
Nigeria is tackling its long-standing energy challenges by partnering with private investors to boost local lithium battery and solar panel production, expand mobile solar solutions, and scale up compressed natural gas adoption.
The moves aim to cut reliance on petrol and imported technology, lower energy costs, and create thousands of jobs for youths. Officials say plans are underway to attract investors, set up local factories, and train workers, with a target of one million CNG vehicle conversions and over 10,000 conversion centres by 2027.
Nigeria has long struggled with unreliable power supply, overdependence on petrol, and heavy reliance on imported solar components and batteries.
The Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative was launched in 2023 as a direct response to the removal of fuel subsidies, which caused a sharp rise in petrol prices across Nigeria.
The FG is making a strong push to manufacture lithium batteries domestically as a key part of its broader shift to green energy.
