Access to energy is a key factor for social and economic development, and Nigeria is striving to provide electricity access to millions of its population who currently lack a reliable power supply. Decentralised renewable energy (DRE) systems, such as solar home systems and mini grids, are crucial for achieving these goals as they offer a reliable and affordable source of electricity for people in remote and underserved areas.

Currently, DRE projects tend to focus on techno-economic aspects and compartmentalise the role of communities to the customary processes of community entry and revenue collection. Although the people-centred dimensions of mini-grid projects have been gaining traction recently, this aspect is still absent from many DRE projects – or is only an afterthought.

This project aims to develop the capacity of energy professionals to adopt people-centered and holistic approaches to DRE projects and programmes in order to:

• Improve the social impact of DRE projects (e.g., on education, health and livelihoods)
• Avoid replicating, reinforcing or increasing pre-existing social inequalities in project communities
• Improve the sustainability of DRE projects by increasing long-term community governance of such projects
• Improve the rate of local initiation of DRE projects

The Energy Practitioners Nigeria project is organised in close cooperation with two partner organisations.

The Clean Technology Hub is a pioneering hybrid hub for the research, development, demonstration and incubation of clean and green ideas and technologies in Africa and their validation for commercial-stage development.

The Reiner Lemoine Institute is a research institution that contributes to the transformation to a sustainable energy supply. It conducts applied research to scientifically support the long-term transition towards renewable energy.

The project aims to strengthen capacities in the following areas: