The fund will invest in distributed power solutions for Nigerian communities and businesses that lack reliable electricity.

Its launch moves the investment platform from structuring toward capital deployment, although the partners have not disclosed how much of its $300 million size has been raised or committed to projects. 

NSIA and Africa50 will co-manage the fund, which is intended to help finance solutions such as mini-grids and standalone solar systems.

The World Bank is a founding partner, and Anna Bjerde, its managing director of operations, said the bank is making an initial $25 million contribution through the International Development Association.

The partners have not announced specific projects or an expected number of electricity connections from the fund.  

The investment platform addresses a large and persistent market gap. Nigeria’s national energy compact estimates that more than 86 million people lacked electricity access in 2022.

The World Bank has also identified unreliable grid supply as a reason households and businesses rely on costly petrol and diesel generators. 

Distributed systems can serve customers beyond the reach of dependable grid infrastructure and provide power for local business activity. 

The new fund sits alongside Nigeria’s broader effort to expand privately delivered electricity access.

A separate World Bank program approved in 2023, backed by a $750 million credit, aims to provide more than 17.5 million Nigerians with new or improved access through distributed renewable energy.

The fund also supports Mission 300, the African initiative to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030.  

For investors and energy companies, the fund creates a dedicated route for financing distributed power projects in Nigeria.

Its practical impact will depend on the capital it secures, the projects it finances and the electricity those projects deliver to underserved customers.