Sun King, the world’s leading off-grid solar company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to deepen collaboration on renewable energy access, domestic manufacturing, and data-driven innovation, in a major push toward local industrialisation and clean energy growth.
The partnership, announced at the Nigeria Renewable Energy Innovation Forum (NREIF) in Abuja, marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s quest to build a self-sustaining clean energy economy and reduce import dependence by as much as $150 million over the next five years.
The agreement was witnessed by Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s vice president and Patrick Walsh, Sun King’s co-founder and chief executive officer, underscoring strong political support for a private–public partnership that aims to accelerate Nigeria’s clean energy transition.
“To unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s energy transition, we need the private sector — our industrialists, innovators, and financiers- to take bold steps forward,” said Shettima. “We are enhancing incentives for local manufacturing, streamlining regulatory frameworks, and deepening collaboration with State Governments, investors, and development partners to de-risk private capital and accelerate the growth of a self-sustaining renewable energy market.”
Sun King, which sells more than 330,000 solar kits every month across Africa, has seen its Nigerian operations grow rapidly — from 3,000 units per month in 2020 to 75,000 units per month today. The company expects to triple sales over the next few years as consumer demand for affordable, reliable power continues to surge.
In addition to solar home systems, Sun King has diversified into smartphones and energy-efficient appliances such as televisions and freezers designed to integrate seamlessly with its solar kits. The move aligns with Nigeria’s broader industrialisation agenda, linking energy access to local value creation.
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Under the new MoU, Sun King and REA will cooperate across three key areas: local manufacturing and value addition, data and technical collaboration, and joint advocacy for off-grid solar as a central pillar of Nigeria’s energy strategy.
The first pillar of the partnership supports the Nigeria First policy, encouraging domestic assembly of select solar and energy-efficient products. By increasing local participation in production and supply chains, Sun King and REA aim to generate new jobs and ensure Nigerians capture a greater share of value from the clean energy sector.
With the right enabling environment, including tax incentives, infrastructure support, and streamlined regulation, Sun King estimates that local production could substitute imports worth $150 million in solar and appliance components within five years.
The partners also plan to facilitate structured dialogue between government and industry stakeholders on developing a robust local manufacturing ecosystem. Drawing on Sun King’s international manufacturing experience, the collaboration seeks to inform policy design that strengthens Nigeria’s industrial base and enhances competitiveness in renewable energy and electronics production.
The second area of cooperation centres on data sharing and technical collaboration. REA and Sun King will work to enhance the collection and analysis of market intelligence, consumer data, and operational metrics to inform programs such as the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) and Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES).
This technical partnership aims to identify skills gaps and infrastructure bottlenecks, improve efficiency across the value chain, and sharpen Nigeria’s long-term renewable energy planning. The approach supports Mission 300, the global goal to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030, of which Nigeria is expected to play a leading role.
The third focus area of the MoU emphasises joint advocacy to raise the visibility of standalone solar solutions as a vital component of Nigeria’s national energy strategy. REA and Sun King will jointly highlight how off-grid solar power transforms lives by electrifying homes, schools, and small businesses in underserved areas.
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By promoting favourable policies and financing mechanisms, the partners aim to create an environment that encourages private investment at scale while aligning public and private sector narratives around a shared clean energy vision.
“Sun King was the largest partner on REA’s Nigeria Electrification Programme,” said Abba Abubakar Aliyu, managing director and chief executive officer of REA. “This next chapter goes further, linking energy access, industrial growth, and supportive policy into one unified push for Nigeria’s clean-energy future.”
Sun King’s rapid expansion has already created over 12,000 jobs in Nigeria across sales, engineering, marketing, and data analytics. With the new MoU in place, the company expects to deepen that impact through localised assembly, distribution, and after-sales service, unlocking thousands of additional employment opportunities in both rural and urban centres.
The REA–Sun King partnership is also designed to catalyse private investment in the renewable energy sector by signalling strong policy consistency and market opportunity. Analysts say that as Nigeria’s grid remains under pressure from rising demand and aging infrastructure, standalone solar and hybrid systems are becoming the fastest-growing segments in the country’s power market.
According to industry data, Nigeria’s off-grid market already attracts hundreds of millions of dollars annually in donor and private financing, but domestic manufacturing remains limited. The new partnership seeks to bridge that gap by aligning industrial policy with clean energy deployment.
“This partnership unites two powerful goals — Mission 300, connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, and the Government of Nigeria’s industrialisation vision,” said Patrick Walsh, co-founder and CEO of Sun King. “It’s about making clean energy affordable, unlocking new manufacturing opportunities, and using shared data and insight to build stronger renewable-energy and electronics industries across Nigeria.”
Analysts view the REA–Sun King agreement as a potential blueprint for sustainable industrial policy across Africa, demonstrating how governments and global energy companies can collaborate to deliver inclusive growth. By integrating clean energy expansion with domestic production, the partnership aligns climate ambition with job creation and value retention, key priorities for many African economies.
For Nigeria, the stakes are high. With an estimated 85 million citizens lacking access to electricity, the push toward off-grid solar and local manufacturing could reshape the country’s energy and economic landscape. The REA–Sun King collaboration stands as a significant step in that direction — a model of how public and private partnerships can drive both import substitution and energy access, fueling Nigeria’s march toward a cleaner, more resilient industrial future.
