Nigeria Japan energy partnership secures \$190m loan for renewable projects at TICAD 9 as Tinubu, Adelabu push power, grid, and infrastructure deals

The Nigeria Japan energy partnership gained a major boost as Nigeria secured a \$190m loan facility for renewable energy projects during the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama, Japan.

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President Bola Tinubu led the Nigerian delegation, stressing that the summit was not about trade exhibitions but forging “strategic, outcome-driven partnerships” to deliver measurable results for Nigerians.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, revealed that the facility, supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will expand distributed renewable energy solutions in underserved communities.

This builds on the \$750m World Bank Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up programme under the Mission 300 Compact, targeting over 17 million Nigerians.

According to the ministry, Nigeria has also approved counterpart funding of ₦19bn to catalyse an additional \$238m JICA loan. These funds will support major grid upgrades, including over 200km of new high-voltage lines and multiple substations across the country.

Adelabu further highlighted the commissioning of JICA-funded substations in Apo, Keffi, and Apapa, which will strengthen electricity supply to households, industries, and critical hubs such as Lagos Port.

He also pointed to the commissioning of advanced training equipment at NAPTIN in Abuja to build local engineering capacity and tackle network inefficiencies.

Despite these gains, Adelabu admitted that only 55–60% of Nigeria’s 200 million citizens currently have electricity access, much of it unreliable.

He stressed that government strategy is to expand the grid in cities while promoting solar mini-grids and standalone systems in rural areas.

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Expressing appreciation to Japan, Adelabu described JICA as a “reliable partner” in Nigeria’s energy transition, helping drive access to affordable, sustainable, and reliable power.