Background
Nigeria’s clean energy transition has accelerated in unexpected ways, shaped by both domestic reforms and external investment flows. The removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of exchange rates in 2023 created macroeconomic shocks, rising inflation and a sharp naira depreciation, but also unleashed unprecedented demand for distributed renewable energy solutions. By late 2024, Nigeria was importing more solar panels and batteries than at any time in its history, with over 90 per cent sourced from China.
This growth has been driven less by formal investment frameworks and more by adaptive, informal mechanisms. While this has rapidly expanded access to clean energy, it has also exposed significant institutional gaps. Nigerian regulators have issued new import guidelines and launched standards initiatives, but responses remain fragmented and reactive.
Against this backdrop, APRI undertook the study “Enhancing Nigeria’s Clean Energy Transition: Mapping Chinese Investment and Strategic Priorities,” which examined how Chinese actors are shaping Nigeria’s renewable energy landscape, the opportunities presented by the upgraded Nigeria–China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the risks of leaving such a critical transition largely to informal systems. To reflect on these findings, validate perspectives, and co-create actionable recommendations, APRI convened a stakeholder review workshop on Thursday, 31st July 2025. The session provided insights into the central dilemma highlighted by the study, that Nigeria’s energy transition is advancing, but not yet on Nigeria’s terms, while also offering a platform to bridge the gap between informal trade dynamics and formal policy frameworks, and to align fast-moving market realities with Nigeria’s long-term development and climate priorities.
The Event
The workshop aims to present and validate APRI’s study on Chinese clean energy engagement in Nigeria while fostering dialogue between Nigerian and Chinese stakeholders on investment, technology, and institutional coordination. It seeks to generate practical recommendations to enhance transparency, policy alignment, and local benefits, and to explore opportunities for establishing a structured bilateral platform under the Nigeria–China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The Event
Against this background, the APRI-Africa Policy Research Institute, through its Just Green Technology Transition Programme, in partnership with the Strategic Youth Network for Development and the Ghana Climate and Innovation Centre, are organising a webinar to deepen practical understanding of IP issues, identify ecosystem bottlenecks and generate pragmatic policy and institutional responses that strengthen green innovation in Ghana.
Panelists
Najim Animashaun
Speaker
Non-Resident Fellow - APRI.
Nnadozie Ifeanyi–Nwaoha
Speaker
Associate Director, Energy Markets and Rates Consultants (EMRC)
Moderation
Olumide Onitekun
Moderator
Founder and Executive Director, APRI
