The Rockefeller Foundation, GEAPP, SEforALL Lead High-level Delegation to visit Nigeria’s Successful Energy Transition Projects

Abuja, Nigeria | 12 June 2024 ― Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), a global organization dedicated to universal access to sustainable energy, announced today its CEO and Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General, Damilola Ogunbiyi, will host a high-level delegation from The Rockefeller Foundation and Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) focused on expanding universal energy access and accelerating Nigeria’s transition to clean and affordable energy.

The delegation, which includes Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation; William Asiko, Vice President and head of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa Regional Office; Wale Aboyade, interim Regional Head for Africa at GEAPP; Muhammad Wakil, GEAPP’s Country Lead for Nigeria; and other senior participants will include a mix of meetings with key public and private Nigerian stakeholders and visits to renewable energy projects that are fostering economic development, improving health outcomes, and empowering local communities.

Aligned with the new World Bank and African Development Bank Group’s (AfDB) ambition to provide 300 million people in Africa with electricity access by 2030, these dialogues will also explore ways to leverage combined expertise and resources to accelerate Nigeria’s progress towards achieving universal energy access.

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, said: “This is a critical moment for Africa’s energy transformation. With the World Bank and the African Development Bank’s recent commitment to expand energy access to 300 million Africans by 2030, which The Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet are proud to support, Nigeria is leading the way with innovative, people-centered solutions. The model Nigeria uses to empower 100 million people, one-third of that target, can provide a roadmap for Africa and the rest of the world.’’

Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, said: “I am extremely pleased to host this visit. Nigeria is an important country to focus on, as concerted efforts and greater partnerships are vital if we are to tackle the energy access challenge in this country, and this is why this visit is important as it galvanizes support for greater access to sufficient, affordable, and clean energy for the people of Nigeria.”

Wale Aboyade, interim Regional Head for Africa at GEAPP, said: “I am excited to join our Alliance partners as part of this important visit, which allows us to connect with our ultimate stakeholders who are the people in the countries that we aim to improve electricity access and livelihoods. By leveraging the strengths of our respective partners, we are accelerating our common mission to support vital countries like Nigeria in the shift to clean energy that can power inclusive, sustainable economic growth for the millions. In addition to the projects listed above, the trip also builds upon additional ongoing GEAPP-supported programs in the country, including the World Bank-led $750 million Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES).’’

In support of Nigeria’s climate leadership and progress on addressing energy poverty, the delegation will visit projects that are already exploring innovative solutions for expanding access to distributed renewable energy (DRE) across the country and see first-hand the impact and urgent need to scale deployment. A few examples include:

• Solar Interconnected Mini Grids (IMGs). In Nigeria, GEAPP is pioneering a business model which allows the gap between electricity supply and demand on the grid to be met by solar IMGs installed in (or near) a community, which serves the customers during the day, while electricity distribution companies (DisCos) serve them at night. The long-term goal is to facilitate 10 gigawatts (GW) of such solutions across the country, with an initial aim of deploying IMG plants in each of the country’s 11 DisCos. The delegation plans to visit a 325- kilowatt (KW) IMG that has been operational for a few months managed by PowerGen, an international developer.
• Energising Education Phase II (EEP II). EEP II is a Nigerian Government project under the National Electrification Project (NEP) and supported by the World Bank. It is a power plant being deployed in the University of Abuja and includes a hybrid solar power plant, supported by Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which also includes powering hundreds of streetlights for added illumination and security on campus. In addition, a Workshop and Training Centre offers training to young people on renewable energy.
• Universal Energy Facility (UEF). A results-based finance facility, UEF is managed by SEforALL and supported by GEAPP, Shell Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Minigrid Developers Association, Bezos Earth Fund, Power Africa, Good Energies, UKaid, Carbon Trust, FCDO TEA, IKEA Foundation, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (BMZ), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). UEF’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) clusters, often markets, utilize innovative standalone solar systems and underscore the commitment of the Nigerian government to partners promoting sustainable energy solutions in the country.

About Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) is an alliance of philanthropy, governments in emerging and developed economies, and technology, policy, and financing partners. Our common mission is to enable LMIC’s shift to a clean energy, pro-growth model that accelerates universal energy access and inclusive economic growth, while supporting the global community to meet critical climate goals during the next decade. As an alliance we aim to reduce 4 gigatons of future carbon emissions, expand clean energy access to one billion people, and enable 150 million new jobs. With philanthropic partners, IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, GEAPP works to build the enabling environment, capacity, and market conditions for private sector solutions, catalyze new business models through innovation and entrepreneurship, and deploy high-risk capital to encourage private sector solutions, and assist just transition solutions. For more information, please visit www.energyalliance.org and follow us on LinkedIn.

About SEforALL

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is an international organization that works in partnership with the United Nations and leaders in government, the private sector, financial institutions, civil society and philanthropies to drive faster action towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030 – in line with the Paris Agreement on climate. SEforALL works to ensure a clean energy transition that leaves no one behind and brings new opportunities for everyone to fulfill their potential. Learn more about our work at SEforALL.org and follow us on LinkedIn and X @SEforALLorg.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity. Today, we are focused on advancing human opportunity and reversing the climate crisis by transforming systems in food, health, energy, and finance. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn.

For Media Enquiries, please contact:

• Ashley Chang | media@rockfound.org
• Eric Gay | eric.gay@energyalliance.org
• Sherry Kenney | Sherry.Kennedy@Seforall.org