The Renewable Energy Forum Africa (REFA) runs 25-26 November at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel. The Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) organises it, with support from SolarPower Europe. It follows editions in Cape Town, Nairobi and Accra.
The forum is under the patronage of Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA). Abba Aliyu, managing director of REA, will give the keynote at the opening plenary on 25 November.
A market that has grown quickly
Nigeria is West Africa’s largest solar market, with about 618 MWp of operational capacity. That ranks first in the region and eighth in Africa. It leads the continent in mini-grids with 132 MWp, more than double second-placed Angola. It is fourth in Africa for commercial and industrial solar, with roughly 385 MWp tracked by AFSIA. About 76% of operational capacity was commissioned from 2022 onwards.
Policy and money are following. REA’s $750 million World Bank-backed DARES programme targets 1,350 solar mini-grids and better electricity access for 17.5 million people. Construction has started in several states, helped by new NERC Mini-Grid Regulations issued in April.
The $300 million Nigeria Distributed Renewable Energy Fund, run by NSIA and Africa50, launched commercially in September. It will finance mini-grids, standalone solar and other distributed projects.
On manufacturing, Nigeria’s first privately owned 100 MW module assembly plant is operating in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. REA, InfraCorp and Solarge are developing a 1 GW factory. REA has committed to buying at least 200 MW of its modules a year for five years.
Under NERC’s Net Billing Regulations 2026, eligible solar customers can export surplus power to the grid and earn credits. Oversight of electricity markets has also passed to 16 states, Lagos among them. For single-state projects, licences and tariffs now come from state commissions.
What’s on the agenda
Sessions will cover why permitted, contracted utility-scale projects are still waiting for financial close, and how productive-use loads improve mini-grid returns. They will also look at corporate power purchase agreements and storage, and at why telecoms, mining and data centres are becoming bankable power customers. Other streams cover e-mobility fleets, blended finance structures for currency and offtake risk, and counterfeit solar products. B2B matchmaking runs on both days alongside an exhibition.
REFA says earlier editions drew 325 attendees, 41 speakers and 25 partners, and led to 972 B2B meetings. Developers and financiers made up more than half of 2025 attendees.
On the evening of 25 November, the AFSIA Awards will honour projects and companies across 14 categories.
Industry voices
“Nigeria’s clean energy ecosystem is growing at an unprecedented pace,” Aliyu said. “The nation’s transition to a sustainable energy future requires more than ambition; it requires investment, strong partnerships, and the development of our local manufacturing ecosystem.”
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, called Nigeria “one of West Africa’s most dynamic markets for renewable energy development,” with momentum around solar, storage and local value creation.
Olamide Niyi-Afuye, CEO of the Africa Minigrid Developers Association, said distributed renewables are increasingly positioned to power productive enterprises and support Africa’s industrialisation ambitions.
Equipment makers are also backing the event. Jinko Solar is Diamond Partner. JA Solar, AIKO, Zimmermann PV-Steel Group, AlphaESS, KUKA Cable and Sungrow are also partners. Max Luo, regional manager at AlphaESS, said storage can help businesses “get more from solar while using less diesel.”
