Two Nigerian energy stakeholders have advocated decentralised electricity systems and income-generating energy projects to bridge Nigeria’s rural power gap.
They spoke during interviews with reporters in Abuja on Wednesday.
Mosho Adekunle, an energy policy analyst, said Nigeria needed to move beyond conventional grid expansion, which remained costly across sparsely populated rural communities.
Adekunle advocated interconnected solar-hybrid mini-grids within areas served by underperforming electricity distribution companies to leverage existing infrastructure and improve supply reliability.
He said private operators could provide 24-hour electricity through regulated, cost-reflective tariffs, while state-level electricity reforms could accelerate licensing and deployment.
“Subnational regulation can drastically reduce administrative delays and allow states to independently map and develop underserved communities,” he said.
Adekunle also recommended digital, performance-based subsidy systems to ensure government and development funds were released only after verified electricity connections.
He said such systems would help agencies, including the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), prevent abandoned or “ghost” projects while improving the impact of public investments.
Dr Diana Nwajei, a development economist, said rural electrification should be linked directly to economic activities capable of generating income and sustaining electricity demand.
Nwajei called for productive-use energy projects, including solar-powered cold storage, grain mills, irrigation systems and electric mobility, to create dependable demand for mini-grid operators.
She said integrating electricity into rural value chains would simultaneously increase farm productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and improve household incomes.
“Electrification becomes more sustainable when communities can use power to produce, earn income and pay for continued service,” she said.
The economist also recommended Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) systems and mobile-money platforms to reduce the financial burden of connecting low-income rural households to electricity.
According to her, smart meters linked to digital payment systems will allow consumers to pay incrementally according to their electricity consumption.
Nwajei further proposed community-owned micro-utilities, combining concessional financing with equity contributions from local cooperatives to give residents a stake in electricity infrastructure.
She said community ownership could discourage vandalism, strengthen local commitment and improve maintenance of power facilities over the long term.
