Energy experts have urged Nigeria and other African countries to link investments in renewable energy to industrial growth, local manufacturing and job creation, warning that the continent could miss the economic benefits of the global energy transition if it continues to depend on imported technologies.
They argued that renewable energy investments must go beyond expanding electricity generation to powering industries, strengthening indigenous businesses, developing technical skills and creating regional supply chains capable of retaining economic value within Africa. The real measure of Africa’s energy transition, they said, should be its contribution to industrialisation, productive employment, affordable electricity and improved livelihoods, rather than the volume of investments attracted or renewable energy installations completed.
Yagouba Traoré, Head of Policy Planning and Strategy at the African Energy Commission of the African Union, said African countries must harness their abundant energy resources to build domestic industries instead of remaining exporters of raw materials and consumers of imported technologies. He noted that Africa’s solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal resources present opportunities to accelerate industrialisation, provided governments prioritise local manufacturing, mineral processing, technical education and domestic financing.
The call reflects a growing consensus that Africa’s energy transition must be designed not only to deliver electricity, but also to create jobs, strengthen industries, stimulate innovation and expand economic opportunities. Without a deliberate industrial strategy, the continent risks remaining a consumer of imported clean energy technologies rather than a producer of them.
For Nigeria, the message is particularly pointed, with experts urging the country to move beyond deploying renewable energy technologies to manufacturing them locally. The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has called for a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s clean energy strategy, arguing that the country has the resources, talent and market to become Africa’s clean energy manufacturing hub.
Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency has also said future clean energy projects should be designed to stimulate local manufacturing, strengthen supply chains and improve project bankability, ensuring investment delivers industrial growth alongside electricity access. With 65 per cent of Nigerians still in energy poverty and 90 per cent of rural communities off-grid, the country holds untapped potential in gas, solar, wind and biomass to attract investors and build an industrial hub.
Integrating Energy with Agriculture and MiningEjiro Gray, Executive Director of Governance and Sustainability at Sahara Group, said renewable energy investments would deliver meaningful economic transformation only when they strengthen local productive capacity and support industrial development. Maybel Acquaye, Policy Lead for Minerals and Mining Policy at the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, urged governments to integrate renewable energy investments with agriculture, local supply chains and manufacturing.
The broader message is that Africa’s energy strategies should be directly linked to mineral development plans, industrial policies, trade frameworks, infrastructure corridors and skills development. By connecting renewable energy to productive sectors, African countries can turn the energy transition into a driver of economic transformation rather than simply a response to electricity shortages.
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