Nigeria recently proposed a ban on importing solar panels to boost local manufacturing, but some climate and renewable energy experts worry this move may impede the country’s transition to cleaner energy sources.
In announcing the proposed ban on March 26, Nigeria’s Minister of Science and Technology Uche Nnaji said the country has sufficient capacity to meet local solar energy demands through private firms as well as the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, a Nigerian agency that’s been developing solar technologies.
However, Ogunlade Olamide Martins, an associate director at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation for Africa, a Pan-African NGO, told Mongabay in a voice message that Nigeria’s solar panel production capacity currently remains limited.
Martins said that Nigeria’s largest existing solar panel assembly factory, located in Lagos, has a 100-megawatt (MW) capacity, producing fewer than 72,000 panels annually. This is inadequate for the more than 83 million Nigerians lacking energy access, he added. “We can’t put pressure on local facilities that do not have the capacity.”
By the end of 2024, Nigeria’s total installed solar energy capacity was about 385.7 MWp; the country aims to achieve 500 MW capacity by 2025. Solar panel manufacturing factories with higher capacity are under construction.
Felicia Dairo, project manager at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, told Mongabay in a written statement that the immediate consequence of the proposed ban will be scarcity in solar panels. “And we all know what happens when supply drops: Prices shoot up. The average household or small business looking to go solar will face higher costs, making it an unaffordable luxury for many.”
She added this could push people toward fossil fuel. “When solar becomes too expensive, people and businesses will have no choice but to fall back on fossil fuels, generators, petrol and diesel, just to keep the lights on. That means more pollution, higher energy costs and more strain on already stretched budgets,” she said.
Dairo further cautioned against a hasty ban on solar panel imports, likening it to the May 2023 announcement of fuel subsidy removal that led to a surge in petrol prices. She emphasized the need for proper planning and preparedness to ensure a smooth transition to local production.
Samuel Okeriuwa, a renewable energy expert with more than 30 years of experience in solar panel importation at Steady Energy in Lagos, agreed the proposed solar panel import ban could lead to a price increase, resulting in people reverting “to fuel generators with devastating environmental consequences.”
“The government should call professionals, have a roundtable talk and invest in renewable energy to empower engineers before implementing an importation ban,” he said.
The government is reportedly reviewing the proposal after considerable pushback from various stakeholders, including the NGO Center for Promotion of Private Enterprise.
Banner image: Solar panels being installed on a roof of a house in Lagos, Nigeria. Image by Sunday Alamba/AP Photo.
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