Nigeria Leads Africa in Rooftop Solar Growth

Millions of Nigerians are done waiting for the lights to come back on.

A new report from BloombergNEF reveals that Nigeria added 3.1 gigawatts of small-scale solar capacity in 2024 and 2025 alone, bringing total rooftop and battery installations to about 6 gigawatts. That's enough to power millions of homes that have abandoned the country's unreliable national grid.

The shift is happening fast. By 2035, researchers predict Nigeria could have 87 gigawatts of small-scale solar capacity as annual installations jump from 2.4 gigawatts this year to 16.2 gigawatts in 2035.

What's driving this solar revolution? Nigeria's national grid has collapsed repeatedly, leaving homes and businesses in the dark for hours or days at a time. Meanwhile, diesel and petrol prices have skyrocketed, making traditional backup generators too expensive to run.

So Nigerians are taking matters into their own hands. Families are installing rooftop panels. Small businesses are mounting solar arrays. The country is following a path similar to Pakistan, where consumers bypassed failing infrastructure to create their own reliable power supply.

The Ripple Effect

Nigeria's rooftop solar boom shows what's possible when people refuse to accept the status quo. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 16 countries are now building renewable energy capacity, with national utilities and companies signing power purchase agreements that were unthinkable just years ago.

The rapid adoption is creating jobs for installers, stimulating local solar markets, and proving that clean energy can scale from the bottom up. Every panel installed represents a household that now has lights for homework, refrigeration for food, and power for income-generating work.

South Africa still leads the continent in large utility-scale renewable projects, with 67 gigawatts of installed capacity and government-backed competitive procurement programs. But Nigeria's grassroots approach demonstrates a different model: when governments can't deliver, communities will find their own solutions.

The challenge ahead is bridging the gap. Nigeria has commissioned only two major grid-connected solar projects since 2020, and the country lacks the competitive auction systems that attract large private investments in places like South Africa.

But the message from millions of Nigerian solar adopters is clear: they're not waiting for perfect policy to build a brighter future.