Lighting the way: the socioeconomic impact of standalone solar in Nigeria

Nigeria has the world’s largest unelectrified population. Between 85 and 90 million people live without power, and millions more rely on an unreliable grid backed up by costly petrol and diesel generators. Standalone solar is central to Nigeria’s response, including through the World Bank’s USD 750 million DARES programme. Yet decisions about public support and private investment still rest on thin Nigeria-specific evidence.

What we did

Genesis Analytics designed and ran a study of 2,277 Sun King customers across all six of Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. The sample included households, home-based businesses and standalone businesses. We designed the questionnaire and sampling, trained the interviewers, and independently cleaned and analysed the data. Each customer served as their own point of comparison, describing their circumstances before and after adopting solar.

What we found

• Lower energy bills: Households reported that their monthly energy spending more than halved after adoption, with the largest savings in households where solar replaced generators.
• More light and resilience: Customers reported 3.2 more hours of useful light each evening. Most said their product kept them running through power outages and rising fuel prices.
• Productive use from small systems: Standalone businesses, mostly using entry-level systems, reported trading 69 minutes longer each day.
• A route to finance: For over half of Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGo) customers, buying their system was their first experience of credit.
• Limits: Real incomes and employment did not rise over a period of severe inflation. This suggests energy access works best alongside finance, skills and market access.

The report closes with priorities for industry, funders and policymakers. These include tracking customers over time, giving targeted support to home-based businesses, and recognising resilience in results-based financing.