The Federal Government has launched a new renewable energy programme aimed at helping one million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) reduce their energy costs and operate with more reliable electricity.
The initiative, known as the Tinubu Light Initiative, was unveiled by the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) during the National Showcase of the NextGen Innovation Challenge 2026 in Abuja.
The programme is designed to provide affordable clean energy to businesses across the country while supporting job creation, local manufacturing and industrial development.
Speaking at the event, NBTI Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Kazeem Raji, said the initiative would create more than 50,000 direct jobs and encourage businesses to move away from expensive fossil-fuel-powered generators.
According to him, high energy costs remain one of the major challenges facing Nigerian businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises that depend heavily on petrol and diesel generators because of unreliable electricity supply.
Raji said the Tinubu Light Initiative would use renewable energy technologies, innovative financing arrangements and partnerships to make clean energy more accessible to businesses.
He explained that reducing energy expenses would allow entrepreneurs to invest more money into expanding their businesses, increasing production and employing more workers.
The initiative will also promote the local assembly and production of renewable energy equipment. This is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, create additional employment opportunities and reduce dependence on imported clean-energy products.
Another key component of the programme is the use of digital financing platforms to make renewable energy solutions easier for businesses to access. The government also expects the programme to create more opportunities for young entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses.
Raji described the initiative as more than an electricity programme, saying it also represents an employment, industrialisation, climate and poverty-reduction strategy.
The launch comes at a time when many Nigerian businesses are struggling with high operating costs. For MSMEs, spending heavily on fuel and maintaining generators can reduce profits and limit their ability to expand.
By providing alternative sources of electricity, the government hopes to improve productivity and make Nigerian businesses more competitive.
The initiative is also connected to the government’s broader Renewed Hope Agenda, which places emphasis on technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, renewable energy and local manufacturing as tools for economic development.
At the event, Raji also highlighted the progress of the NextGen Innovation Challenge, which attracted thousands of applications from innovators working in areas such as renewable energy, agriculture, artificial intelligence, healthcare, biotechnology, manufacturing and financial technology.
He said the programme was created to help Nigerian innovators move their ideas from research laboratories into the marketplace.
The NBTI boss disclosed that an innovator who participated in the 2025 edition secured a £1.5 million investment commitment, while some agricultural innovations from the programme are already being used to improve productivity and reduce post-harvest losses in parts of the country.
Raji said NBTI would continue using its Technology Incubation Centres to identify promising entrepreneurs, provide mentorship, support technology transfer and connect innovators with investors.
He also announced that the Commonwealth Secretariat had backed the expansion of the NextGen Innovation Challenge into a wider programme involving all 56 Commonwealth member countries.
The Federal Government believes that initiatives such as the Tinubu Light programme can help turn Nigeria’s growing pool of innovative talent into commercially successful businesses.
With millions of MSMEs contributing significantly to employment and economic activity, reducing their energy burden could provide a major boost to production, investment and job creation.
The government is therefore positioning affordable renewable energy not only as a solution to power challenges but also as an important part of Nigeria’s broader strategy for industrial and economic growth.
