INTRODUCTION

Electricity access remains a crucial challenge in Nigeria, considerably impacting the country’s economic development, education, healthcare, and overall quality of life. Despite being Africa’s most populous nation with over 200 million people and laden with significant energy resources, the country still faces persistent issues related to electricity generation, distribution, and accessibility. It is estimated that roughly 90 million people were without electricity in 2023,[1] the highest deficit in Africa. This is the result of increased population, poor infrastructure, and insufficient generation capacity to meet the growing demands of citizens. The national power grid, which links electricity generation stations with electrical loads across the country, is hampered by inefficiencies and constrained by infrastructure limitations. The grid, which has collapsed on numerous occasions, plunging the country into darkness, struggles to reach remote and underserved areas. Electricity, which contributes significantly to a country’s economic growth and development has a very deplorable supply rate in Nigeria, adversely affecting businesses. According to a report by the World Bank, Nigerian businesses lose an estimated $29 billion annually due to unreliable electricity.[2] To effectively address this issue of abysmal electricity supply, mini-grids have emerged as a potential catalyst, offering improved and reliable power supply, and providing decentralized and sustainable solutions to the country’s electricity crisis. The core of this article is to highlight the role of mini-grids in solving these electricity problems and examine the existing legal framework for the establishment of mini-grids in Nigeria.

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