REA Partners InfraCorp on 1GW Solar Panel Factory with Dutch Firm, Eyes 17.5 Million Electrified

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and InfraCorp signed a deal with a Dutch firm to establish a 1GW solar panel manufacturing plant in Kano, creating 5,000 green jobs. The $750 million Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project targets 17.5 million off-grid Nigerians via mini-grids and solar home systems. REA’s Head, Abba Abubakar, noted this builds on 125 mini-grids installed since 2018, serving 5.5 million people. Parallelly, a 7MW solar array will power Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, reducing diesel reliance by 80%. These efforts support Nigeria’s 20GW renewable roadmap by 2050, per IRENA