The Rural Electrification Agency (REA), in partnership with Mente Energy Limited, has taken a major step toward redefining Nigeria’s clean energy future by signing a strategic Memorandum of Understanding in Abuja, Nigeria.
This partnership marks the launch of the Renewable Energy Localisation and Industrialisation Programme (RELIP).
A strategic initiative that signals the beginning of a bold national effort to transform Nigeria’s fast-growing renewable energy sector into a fully structured, investment-ready industrial ecosystem capable of driving jobs, manufacturing, and long-term economic growth.
Over the last 10 years, Nigeria has emerged as one of Africa’s most dynamic renewable energy markets. With millions of households in urban, per-urban and rural Nigeria adopting solar solutions, alongside the rapid deployment of mini-grids and solar home systems, the country has made significant progress in expanding energy access. Increasingly, commercial and industrial players are also turning to distributed renewable energy to power their operations.
As global priorities shift toward energy security and resilient supply chains, and the nation continues to advance its renewable energy scale-up efforts, the sector presents more than just an access story; it is a defining economic opportunity open to strategic investments and investors from across the globe. As a first step, RELIP will deliver a 20-year national demand model for renewable energy components, offering, for the first time, a unified and credible picture of Nigeria’s long-term market potential.
The REA – Mente partnership is significant and timely. While international partnerships have primarily played a critical role in accelerating deployment, the RELIP is designed to deepen that progress by ensuring that more of the sector’s economic value is retained within Nigeria, thereby strengthening local content and local manufacturing. Grounded in the Federal Government’s strategic initiative, the “Nigeria-first” policy, RELIP will aid in establishing data systems, institutional frameworks, and coordinated demand signals needed to unlock large-scale investment across the renewable energy value chain.
Speaking on the significance of the initiative at the official MoU Signing in Abuja, Abba Aliyu, Managing Director/CEO of the REA, noted that while Nigeria has made remarkable strides in the deployment of decentralised renewable energy, much of the economic value has historically flowed out of the country.
For him, “RELIP changes the dynamics”. Abba added that “By organising national demand and strengthening the institutional architecture for domestic manufacturing, we are creating the conditions for investment, jobs, and industrial growth to take root here in Nigeria. We welcome partners, both local and international, who share our vision of building a clean energy industrial base that serves Nigeria first”.
Also speaking at the event, Tolu Osekita, Founder and Managing Partner of Mente Energy, described Nigeria’s renewable energy sector as one of the most significant industrial opportunities of the decade. Osekita explained that “What RELIP does is bring structure to those significant opportunities, creating the clarity and confidence needed for capital, local and global, to invest at scale. This initiative is designed to unlock real economic value: factories, jobs, and industrial growth built on Nigerian soil, in partnership with the world.”
The REA – Mente Energy MoU establishes a five-year framework for collaboration between both institutions, with RELIP as its flagship initiative. The first phase of the programme, expected to be delivered within six months, will focus on building the analytical, commercial, and institutional foundations required to unlock investment within this critical ecosystem.
Supported by an REA-led demand aggregation framework, aligning government programmes with broader commercial demand to create a bankable pipeline for investors, the programme will develop targeted, component-specific investment opportunities and lay the groundwork for the upcoming Nigeria Renewable Energy Innovation Forum (NREIF 2.0), a platform designed to mobilise large-scale capital into the sector.
Leaning on a shared vision and optimising the RELIP, the REA and Mente Energy partnership will drive a structured and transparent renewable energy market to catalyse the development of local manufacturing, spanning solar module assembly, battery production, and inverter manufacturing, while also creating skilled jobs across engineering, logistics, and technical services. Over time, this will strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base, support economic diversification, and position the country as a regional hub for clean energy across West Africa.
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Abiola Adekunle
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