Nigeria exports locally-made solar panels to Ghana

The Nigerian government has started exporting solar panels manufactured in Nigeria to its neighbouring country, Ghana.

This milestone was achieved through the government, alongside the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), partnering with Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs), and Levene Photovoltaic Technologies, in an effort to crystallise local manufacturing.

According to Dr Abba Aliyu, CEO of the REA, this development aligns perfectly with the administration’s commitment to reversing Nigeria’s dependence on imported solar PV panels and helps to position the country as a key player in the global clean energy value chain.

He also underscored the REA’s strategic drive to advance the Federal Government’s policy on local content and renewable energy industrialisation through innovative partnerships that strengthen domestic capacity while opening new regional markets.

“Together, through deliberate strategies and collaborative actions, we are demonstrating that Nigeria can produce, deploy, and export sustainable energy solutions that power inclusive growth across Africa from right here at home,” said Aliyu.

“It is worth highlighting that before the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s solar PV manufacturing capacity stood at approximately 120 MW. Today, that capacity has grown to 650 MW, which is a clear reflection of visionary leadership, targeted investments, and the resilience of our private sector partners.

“This milestone is not just a win for the REA or the renewable energy industry; it is a defining milestone in Nigeria’s renewable energy journey and a win for Nigeria, which symbolises what’s possible when policy, partnership, and purpose align for national progress,” he added.

Similarly, the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) announced that Nigeria had struck a deal with the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer to establish a factory in Nigeria to boost local production of solar equipment.

ECN facilitated the deal between the federal government and LONGi of China during a follow-up visit by the federal government delegation to China, after both parties had signed a memorandum of understanding earlier in the year. 

It’s worth noting that Nigeria is Africa’s second-largest importer of solar panels, with imports valued at over $200 million in 2023 and 1,721 MW of capacity imported in the 12 months leading up to June 2025.

Energy independence, economic diversification

Rinret Best, a programme associate at Vectar Energy, a climate tech start-up based in Nigeria, said that the exportation of solar power to Ghana was a significant achievement for the Nigerian government, demonstrating its commitment to shifting from being an importer to an exporter.

She told Gas Outlook that this reflects the facilitation of local content development and manufacturing in the renewable energy ecosystem, and is a clear indicator that Nigeria is pursuing industrialisation alongside electrification.

“With REA’s acknowledgement of this shipment as a great feat, while ECN has secured large-scale manufacturing partnerships to scale local production and capacity of local workforce,

it is important for the government to ensure proper standardisation, monitoring and evaluation systems that align with national policies to build credibility around Nigeria-made products.

“The government will also need to explore options of moving up the value chain from assembly to higher-value manufacturing to boost the economy,” she said.

Bardeson Desmond, Senior Researcher and Programme Lead at Clim Edge Hub, an energy transition consultancy firm, told Gas Outlook that historically, Nigeria has been heavily dependent on imported solar components, with over 90% of photovoltaic (PV) modules used in off-grid and mini-grid projects sourced from China, India, and Europe.

He said the import dependency not only drained foreign exchange reserves but also undermined the resilience of energy supply chains, especially during global disruptions like the pandemic or the recent port bottlenecks.

Bardeson noted that with Levene Photovoltaic Technologies, backed by REA’s Energizing Economies and Energizing Agriculture initiatives, producing bankable, standards-compliant panels domestically and exporting to a regional peer like Ghana, there is a shift from passive consumption to active value creation.

“Now, with Levene Photovoltaic Technologies, backed by REA’s Energizing Economies and Energizing Agriculture initiatives, producing bankable, standards-compliant panels domestically and exporting to a regional peer like Ghana, we are witnessing a shift from passive consumption to active value creation.

This aligns tightly with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan and the more recent National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, which both emphasise local content, industrial deepening, and regional trade,” he added.

Strengthening local capacity

According to public disclosures and REA’s “Local Content in Renewable Energy” guidelines, he said Levene’s Abuja facility handles critical processes such as cell stringing, lamination, framing, and quality assurance, which require skilled technicians and robust supply linkages.

“REA, through its Nigeria Electrification Project funded by the World Bank and AfDB, has structured its support to RESCOs (Renewable Energy Service Companies) around performance-based contracts that incentivise local value addition. This includes requiring a minimum threshold of Nigerian inputs, whether in labour, engineering, or raw materials like aluminium frames or junction boxes.

“The LONGi partnership is more complex. While LONGi is the world’s largest mono PERC module producer, the MOU signed during Nigeria’s 2024 trade mission to China reportedly includes provisions for technology sharing, workforce training, and phased local sourcing.

“Crucially, the Energy Commission of Nigeria, as the regulatory gatekeeper for standards, has been empowered under the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission Act to enforce compliance with the SONCAP and NIS 2020 solar standards. This creates a quality firewall that prevents “label-swapping” or disguised imports under the guise of local manufacturing.”

Regional expansion

Desmond added that export to Ghana is likely just the pilot phase of a broader “West Africa Clean Energy Corridor” vision. He said REA has previously signalled interest in leveraging ECOWAS’s Protocol on the Free Movement of Goods and the African Continental Free Trade Area to position Nigeria as a regional clean tech exporter.

“Ghana is a logical first market, it shares strong trade ties with Nigeria, has a vibrant off-grid energy sector (supported by the Ghana Energy Commission and GET-FiT program), and faces similar solar irradiance and mini-grid deployment challenges.

“Looking ahead, countries like Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin, where REA’s sister agencies (e.g., ECREEE) are already coordinating mini-grid rollouts, could be next. The REA’s model of bundling hardware, financing, and after-sales support (as seen in its Energizing Economies initiative) is highly replicable in markets with similar SME-driven energy demand.”

Best also said the Nigerian government, industry actors and key sector stakeholders have signalled Nigeria’s ambition to scale exports across West Africa and make Nigeria the regional hub for renewable energy innovation and production.

She noted that the Levene shipment to Accra is the first step toward broader regional market penetration, while the LONGi partnership signals plans for gigawatt-scale domestic manufacturing that could create and serve regional demand.

However, she mentioned that some potential constraints, such as certifications and tariffs, may limit expansion. She also raised the concern that cross-border trade frictions, non-harmonised tariffs or paperwork will increase costs and slow shipments unless ECOWAS trade facilitation mechanisms are used effectively.

“Usually, inefficient trade logistics form non-tariff barriers that limit trade, just like how high tariffs limit trade among countries. The removal of these barriers are the objectives of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme. Therefore, efficient logistics and transport for cross border trade, streamlining, harmonisation and digitisation of customs procedures and documentation at ports, adherence to preferential tariffs under ETLS and borders as well as reduction of waiting times at borders and corridor improvement through Joint Border Posts etc, will reduce the cost of trade and expedite shipments across ECOWAS Member States.

(Writing by Samuel Ajala, editing by Sophie Davies)