The UN just held up Nigeria's solar programme as a model: five million people powered

Nigeria's rural electrification programme has been singled out in the UN's World Social Report 2026 as a successful example of how to bring power to people the grid left behind. Citing World Bank data, the report credits the programme with establishing 125 mini-grids and selling more than one million solar home systems — together bringing electricity to more than five million Nigerians and creating over 5,000 green jobs. Its recipe: targeted subsidies that lower costs for poorer households while drawing private investment into underserved communities. The UN also praised Nigeria and Ghana for pioneering solar panels integrated into farmland.

SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: institutional program