Morganable business/Renewable Energy
The initiative is designed to address one of the major challenges confronting Nigerian businesses, high energy costs caused by unreliable electricity supply and heavy dependence on fossil fuel-powered generators
kaNo —
The Federal Government has launched a nationwide renewable energy programme aimed at providing affordable and reliable clean energy to one million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across Nigeria, with the initiative expected to create more than 50,000 direct jobs and reduce the cost of doing business.
The programme, known as the Tinubu Light Initiative, was unveiled on Thursday by the National Board for Technology Incubation during the National Showcase of the NextGen Innovation Challenge 2026 at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
The initiative is designed to address one of the major challenges confronting Nigerian businesses, high energy costs caused by unreliable electricity supply and heavy dependence on fossil fuel-powered generators.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NBTI, Dr Kazeem Raji, said the programme would combine renewable energy technologies, innovative financing models and strategic partnerships to make clean energy more accessible to MSMEs nationwide.
Raji said the initiative was expected to lower production costs, improve productivity, stimulate local manufacturing and strengthen the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses in both domestic and international markets.
“The Tinubu Light Initiative seeks to change this narrative. Through innovative financing models, strategic partnerships, renewable energy technologies, and nationwide implementation, this initiative will provide affordable clean energy solutions to one million Nigerian MSMEs,” he said.
Project Aims At Promoting Investment
The NBTI boss said the programme was conceived not merely as an electricity intervention but as a broader economic development strategy capable of stimulating investment, supporting entrepreneurship and creating employment.
“Imagine one million businesses operating with lower production costs. Imagine millions of entrepreneurs reinvesting their savings into business expansion. Imagine increased productivity across every sector of our economy,” Raji said.
Initiative To Promote Clean Environment
He added that the initiative would support cleaner communities while creating an environment where more industries and businesses could emerge without energy constraints becoming a major barrier to growth.
He said this component would help strengthen Nigeria’s domestic manufacturing capacity, reduce dependence on imported renewable energy equipment and create additional opportunities for skilled workers and entrepreneurs.
The initiative is also expected to contribute to reducing carbon emissions while expanding economic opportunities for women and young entrepreneurs.
Raji said innovative digital financing platforms would be deployed as part of efforts to improve financial inclusion and ensure that more small businesses could access renewable energy solutions.
“This initiative goes beyond electrification. It is an industrial policy. It is an employment strategy. It is a poverty reduction programme. It is a climate action initiative. It is a national productivity agenda,” he said.
The initiative is being positioned within President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the administration’s focus on innovation, science, technology, entrepreneurship and human capital development as drivers of sustainable economic growth.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is no longer merely a policy framework; it is increasingly becoming a practical roadmap for unlocking Nigeria’s immense economic potential through innovation, entrepreneurship and technology,” he said.
The launch of the Tinubu Light Initiative also formed part of a broader showcase of Nigerian technological innovations under the 2026 NextGen Innovation Challenge.
Raji disclosed that thousands of applications had been received from innovators working across a wide range of sectors, including renewable energy, agriculture, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, healthcare, manufacturing, education, financial technology, climate technology and industrial engineering.
He said the level of participation demonstrated the depth of innovative talent available across the country, adding that the major challenge was no longer the availability of ideas but the creation of an ecosystem capable of turning those ideas into commercially viable businesses.
“This overwhelming participation demonstrates one undeniable reality: Nigeria is blessed with an abundance of innovative minds. Our challenge has never been a lack of ideas. Our challenge has been creating the right ecosystem to nurture those ideas into globally competitive enterprises,” he said.
According to him, the NextGen Innovation Challenge has evolved beyond an ordinary competition into a national platform connecting innovators with investors and supporting the commercialisation of indigenous technologies.
He recalled that during the inaugural edition of the challenge in 2025, one participating innovator secured a £1.5m investment commitment.
He also said several agricultural innovations developed through the programme were already being deployed to improve productivity and reduce post-harvest losses in Kaduna, Bauchi and other states.
Raji described the investment secured by the innovator as evidence that Nigerian innovations could attract international capital when properly developed and presented to investors.
“When Nigerian innovation is properly nurtured, professionally presented and strategically supported, global investors respond with confidence,” he said.
Innovation Used In Addressing Practical Challenges
The NBTI chief further disclosed that several innovations emerging from the programme had moved beyond the prototype stage and were already being used to address practical challenges.
He said the technologies were creating jobs, attracting investment, improving livelihoods and contributing to national development.
“These are not prototypes gathering dust on shelves. These are practical solutions for improving lives. This is the true purpose of innovation,” Raji said.
To sustain the process, he said the NBTI would continue to use its network of Technology Incubation Centres across the country to identify talented innovators, provide mentorship, facilitate technology transfer and support the commercialisation of research and indigenous technologies.
He said the agency’s mandate extended from incubation to helping innovators establish commercially viable enterprises.
“Our mandate extends beyond incubation. We identify talent. We mentor innovators. We facilitate technology transfer. We promote commercialisation. We connect innovators with investors. We help transform research into industries. We convert ideas into wealth,” he said.
Raji also announced that the Commonwealth Secretariat had thrown its support behind the NextGen Innovation Challenge, creating an opportunity for the initiative to expand into a Commonwealth-wide programme involving all 56 member countries.
He described the development as a major milestone for Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, saying it demonstrated growing international recognition of Nigerian creativity and technological capacity.
The NBTI chief consequently urged investors, development partners and other stakeholders to support indigenous innovations capable of transforming agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, financial inclusion, food security and renewable energy.
With the Tinubu Light Initiative, the government hopes to address the persistent energy challenge confronting MSMEs while simultaneously using renewable energy as a catalyst for job creation, industrialisation, environmental sustainability and economic growth.
