Lagos govt. collaborates with REA to install rooftop solar to power public institutions

By Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah

As part of the initiative to change Lagos’ energy landscape, the Lagos State Government and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have collaborated to promote and implement renewable energy in the state’s public institutions.

At the Lagos State Energy Summit, both LASG and REA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Oriental Hotel on Victoria Island, indicating a calculated and strategic move away from more than four million diesel generators being used as alternative power and towards sustainable solar power.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by Deputy Gov. Obafemi Hamzat, stressed the urgent need for change from power generators to renewable energy.

“We have excess power generation—but it’s misdirected and not evenly distributed. This collaboration with REA will help bridge that gap,” he said.

The landmark agreement is part of the REA’s state-by-state initiative and echoes the Federal Government’s commitment under the 2023 Electricity Act to expand electricity access at the subnational level.

Also speaking at the summit, REA’s Managing Director/CEO, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, announced a slate of forward-thinking projects, including Nigeria’s first floating solar PV plant—a project scheduled to deliver 8MW of clean power to the Lagos State University (LASU).

He also unveiled plans for a $150 million Lithium Battery Assembly Plant at the Lekki Free Trade Zone and the establishment of a Renewable Energy University.

On the ambitious scope of the initiative, Abba Aliyu said:“This efforts are designed to empower local developers and build a robust market for Renewable Energy Service Companies (RESCOs) across the country.”

He noted that the collaboration would advance the National Public Sector Solarization Initiative (NPSSI) and the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme, backed by the World Bank.

The partnership aims to provide public institutions with reliable, distributed energy solutions, positioning Lagos as a beacon of renewable innovation.

With the projects set to modernize energy generation and storage, both the Lagos government and the REA are steering a critical transition toward a more sustainable, inclusive future for Nigeria’s power sector.