Image: Energy Commission of Nigeria

The Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) has finalized a strategic partnership with Longi, one of China’s leading solar manufacturers, to establish a solar panel factory with up to 1 GW of production capacity in Nigeria.

The agreement was reached during a recent meeting between Nigerian government delegates and Longi representatives at the company’s headquarters in China. It follows the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed earlier this year between both parties.

According to a statement released by the ECN, Longi expressed strong interest in investing in Nigeria and showed readiness to advance concrete plans for the construction of the factory.

This initiative marks another major step in Nigeria’s growing effort to boost domestic solar manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports.

In September 2025, Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA) formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with the Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria and Dutch solar company Solarge BV to develop another 1 GW solar panel factory.

Earlier, in March 2025, the REA also signed an agreement with Oando Clean Energy, a Lagos-based renewables developer, to establish a 1.2 GW solar assembly plant.

The Nigerian government has since proposed a ban on solar panel imports to accelerate the development of a fully localized solar supply chain—a move that could position the country as a regional manufacturing hub for renewable energy technologies.