Solar Startups Finally Have Nigeria’s Attention—Keeping It Is The Big Question

If Nigeria had a national soundtrack for power supply, it would be the unrelenting hum of generators. But now, as fuel prices and electricity tariffs skyrocket, a new contender is making noise: Solar. Across Nigerian cities, rooftops are filling up with solar panels as homes and businesses scramble for a more stable energy source.

The shift in solar adoption is visible across Nigerian cities. “Walk down any street, and you’ll see at least 30-40% of rooftops with solar panels,” Rotimi Thomas, Co-Founder and CEO of SunFi, told WT, noting that this change ramped up last year. Thomas's startup raised USD 2.325 M in seed funding two years ago to further its ambition of building the go-to platform for Nigerians to find, finance and manage solar.

For years, solar power in Nigeria was a niche solution, embraced mostly by early adopters and rural communities beyond the reach of the national grid. Today, it’s having its biggest moment yet. Spiking electricity tariffs and the removal of fu...