Nigeria possesses a 30% solar PV capability, as stated in the recently published West Africa Economic Outlook by the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group.
The outlook indicates that Nigeria is among the West African countries with the most significant economic potential and resources for enhancing the utilization of solar PV.
The report noted that Mali and the Gambia also have a 30% potential for advancing solar PV technologies.
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso boasts a 60% solar PV potential, Ghana has a 35% solar PV capacity, while the Niger Republic has a 50% solar PV capacity.
Nigeria, alongside Mali and the Benin Republic, exhibits a 10% potential for the utilization of wind energy. The Niger Republic has a 30% potential, while Ghana has a 25% potential. Cabo Verde shows a remarkable 90% potential, whereas Senegal has a 60% potential, and Gambia stands at 70% potential.
This energy resource has a 30% potential in conjunction with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. The Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Togo each demonstrated 50%, while Guinea-Bissau showed 40%. Sierra Leone recorded a 60% potential.
Nigeria, Togo, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Guinea all exhibited 30% biomass potential. The countries with the highest biomass energy potential in the West African region were identified as Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, and Liberia, each with a 40% potential.
The AfDB outlook anticipates that the region’s electricity supply will rise from 51 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2010 to 247 TWh in 2030 and reach 600 TWh in 2050, creating new possibilities for the implementation of renewable energy technologies.
The ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy (EREP), initially approved in 2012, aims to elevate the region’s share of renewable energy in the overall electricity composition to 35% by 2020 and 48% by 2030, as per the outlook.
The outlook indicates that the portion of new renewable energy sources—excluding large hydro—will escalate to about 10% by 2020 and to 19% by 2030. These sources encompass wind, solar, small-scale hydro, and bioelectricity. According to these objectives, there will be a rise in renewable electricity capacity of 2.425 MW by 2020 and 7.606 MW by 2030.
