Nigeria Launches Africa’s Largest 200MW Off-Grid Solar Project in Minna
The Federal Government has launched Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest off-grid solar project with the groundbreaking of a 200MW solar mini-grid in Minna, Niger State
The project is led by the Federal Government in partnership with the Niger State Government and Abuja Steel Mills Limited, a subsidiary of African Industries Group. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago formally handed over the 500-hectare site for the new industrial park anchored by a modern steel plant.
The Minister of Power, Chief Olasunkanmi Tegbe, said the project marks a deliberate shift to clean, reliable, and scalable energy outside the national grid to drive industrial growth.
According to a statement by Clement Ezeorah, the Ministry’s Head of Press, the Minister noted that the 200MW mini-grid will secure predictable energy costs, insulate industry from supply variability, and provide surplus electricity to surrounding communities.
“By embedding renewable generation directly into industrial infrastructure, Abuja Steel Mills will produce its own clean energy at scale,” Tegbe stated. “This redefines off-grid power not as a fallback, but as the foundation for industrial growth.”
He stated further that the project aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises clean energy, distributed generation, and private capital. He added that Governor Bago’s land allocation signals Niger State’s readiness to support commercially viable, private-led renewable projects.
“This is more than a milestone for one company or sector,” Tegbe said. “It signals to investors and communities that Nigeria’s clean energy and industrial futures are being built together — deliberately, at scale, and off-grid, but very much on purpose.”
