Nigeria Off-Grid Appliance Market
In continuation of the Efficiency for Access country profile series, this report sheds light on the off- and weak-grid appliance market in Nigeria.
With 220 million people, Nigeria has the largest population and one of the biggest economies in Africa. Nigeria also has one of the greatest energy access challenges. Almost half the population does not have access to electricity, and those that do face frequent power outages. This large weak- and off-grid population and other contributing factors means Nigeria could become one of the continent’s largest off-grid appliance markets. The potential value of the off-grid appliance market in Nigeria was USD$537 million in 2018, and is expected to almost double by 2030 to USD$929 million.
Insufficient data about off-grid appropriate appliances makes it difficult for manufacturers, policymakers, distributors, mini-grid operators, investors and other market actors to make informed decisions and identify high quality, efficient products. To help address this challenge, Efficiency for Access has worked to gather data on the availability of off-grid appropriate appliances in key countries.
Since 2018, Efficiency for Access has been conducting market scoping surveys in 10 countries. The Off- and Weak-Grid Appliance Market Country Profile for Nigeria explores the overall market landscape in Nigeria, the common power type, size, price, and warranty of off-grid appliances sold in retail markets, and other findings relevant to sector stakeholders working in Nigeria. The profile summarises data collected through market scoping surveys conducted in local retail shops, testing results of products sampled from the market in Nigeria, and interviews with interviewed a range of stakeholders. For the first time, the Nigeria Country Profile also analyzes the types of plugs and connectors sold with products, a key consideration for interoperability.
Findings from market surveys and interviews suggest that the off-grid appliance market in Nigeria is relatively underdeveloped, but growing. Currently, high upfront costs prevent SHSs from reaching Nigerian consumers at great scale, but field consultants shared that there is a shift in perception happening. SHSs and off-grid appliances are starting to be recognized as cost-effective alternatives to generators and unreliable grid supply. The field surveys also found that although most appliances sold in market are AC, several local solar brands are selling highly efficient products. Raising consumer awareness about the long-term benefits of solar technologies, encouraging appropriate financial mechanisms and renewing policy focus to create opportunities to help users switch from generators to SHSs will help the market reach its potential.