Sun King, Africa’s leading off-grid solar energy provider, is recording exponential growth across the continent, selling over 330,000 solar kits every month, a massive leap from just 10,000 in 2017.
Meanwhile, the company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the Government of Nigeria to strengthen cooperation on renewable energy access, local manufacturing, and data-driven innovation.
The agreement, signed during REA’s Nigeria Renewable Energy Innovation Forum (NREIF) in Abuja, was witnessed by Sen. Kashim Shettima, the vice president of Nigeria, and Patrick Walsh, Sun King’s co-founder and chief executive officer, marking a new phase of collaboration between the public and private sectors in accelerating Nigeria’s clean energy transition.
Accelerating Energy Access
Sun King currently sells more than 330,000 solar kits every month across Africa, up from 10,000 in 2017.
In Nigeria, Sun King’s solar sales have grown from 3,000 kits per month in 2020 to 75,000 per month today, reflecting rapid expansion and growing consumer demand for affordable, reliable power. Sun King expects to triple the number of solar kits it provides across Nigeria in the next few years.
Beyond solar systems, Sun King also designs and sells a growing range of affordable smartphones and energy-efficient appliances, such as televisions and freezers, designed to work seamlessly with its solar solutions and improve quality of life for households and businesses.
Key Areas of Cooperation
The new MOU between Sun King and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) lays out three core areas of collaboration designed to accelerate Nigeria’s renewable energy transition and deepen local participation in the sector: supporting the Nigeria First agenda with local assembly of select high-value products, technical cooperation through the sharing of data and knowledge to improve efficiencies and grow the sector, and joint advocacy to raise the visibility of standalone solar as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s energy strategy.
First, on manufacturing and local value creation, Sun King and REA will work together to advance the Government’s Nigeria First policy by increasing local participation in the renewable energy value chain.
This includes exploring the domestic assembly of select solar energy and energy-efficient appliances, creating new manufacturing and supply-chain jobs, and ensuring Nigerians capture a larger share of value from the country’s growing clean energy sector.
With the right enabling support from REA and wider government, Sun King estimates that its planned local manufacturing facilities could substitute imports worth $150 million (USD) over the next five years.
In parallel, the partnership will promote structured dialogue between the public and private sectors on the conditions necessary to build a thriving local manufacturing ecosystem.
By sharing practical experience from international operations and manufacturing, Sun King will contribute to discussions on how policy, infrastructure, and investment incentives can best support Nigeria’s long-term goals for industrialisation and renewable energy growth.
Second, the partnership also prioritises deeper technical collaboration and knowledge sharing between Sun King and REA.
Both parties will work to enhance data collection, market intelligence, and analytical insights to improve operational efficiency, expand the reach of energy access programs, such as the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) and Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES), and identify gaps in skills and infrastructure.
This cooperation will help accelerate the sector’s maturity and improve the design of future energy access interventions.
These initiatives build on Nigeria’s successful track record with renewable energy subsidy schemes and align with Mission 300, the global drive to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030.
The MOU commits both organisations to joint advocacy aimed at raising the visibility of standalone solar as a vital pillar of Nigeria’s energy strategy.
Together, REA and Sun King will highlight the social and economic impact of off-grid solar, its role in powering homes, schools, and small enterprises, and advocate for policies and financing mechanisms that accelerate its scale-up.
This collaboration will help align public and private narratives around Nigeria’s energy future and reinforce solar as a key driver of inclusive growth.
“To unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s energy transition, we need the private sector, our industrialists, innovators, and financiers, to take bold steps forward,” VP Kashim Shettima said.
“We [The Government of Nigeria] are enhancing incentives for local manufacturing, streamlining regulatory frameworks, and deepening collaboration with State Governments, investors, and development partners to de-risk private capital and accelerate the growth of a self-sustaining renewable energy market.”
Driving Impact through Partnership
“Sun King was the largest partner on REA’s Nigeria Electrification Programme. This next chapter goes further, linking energy access, industrial growth, and supportive policy into one unified push for Nigeria’s clean-energy future,” Dr. Abba Abubakar Aliyu, managing director/CEO, REA.
Rapid growth has already seen Sun King create over 12,000 jobs in Nigeria, from solar sales, servicing, and installation to engineering, marketing, and data.
This new agreement aims to supercharge that momentum, supporting job creation and industrial growth through closer collaboration with the government.
“This partnership unites two powerful goals, Mission 300, connecting 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030, and the Government of Nigeria’s industrialisation vision. It’s about making clean energy affordable, unlocking new manufacturing opportunities, and using shared data and insight to build stronger renewable-energy and electronics industries across Nigeria,” Patrick Walsh said.
