The Federal Government has commissioned Nigeria’s first Mini-grid Simulation and Standardisation Centre, a $150,000 facility aimed at regulating the quality of solar components and promoting local manufacturing of renewable energy equipment. The new centre is located at the headquarters of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in Abuja and is expected to redefine the country’s renewable energy sector.
The cutting-edge facility, which was donated by Chinese tech giant Huawei, is the result of a bilateral agreement signed during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to China in September 2024. During the visit, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the REA and Huawei, under the supervision of the Minister of Power.
Managing Director of the REA, Abba Aliyu, said on Sunday that the centre will serve as Nigeria’s first national certification hub for testing and verifying the quality of solar energy components used in mini-grid and off-grid electrification projects.
“This simulation and testing centre is the first of its kind in Nigeria,” Aliyu said. “With this facility, we can now test photovoltaic panels, batteries, and other solar components under simulated environmental conditions such as extreme temperatures and humidity. This will help us filter out substandard or second-hand equipment that has been flooding the Nigerian market.”
According to the REA, the centre is equipped with 18 specialised machines, including power analysers, pyranometers, battery analysers, and climate simulation tools that are being deployed for the first time in Nigeria. The total cost of the facility, put at $150,000, was fully funded by Huawei.
Aliyu stressed that the facility will play a crucial role in improving investor confidence in Nigeria’s clean energy sector by ensuring only certified, high-quality components are used. He warned that cheap and substandard imports have been undermining the efforts of local manufacturers and developers.
“A private investor cannot survive if they are producing quality equipment locally and are forced to compete with cheaper, substandard imports. This centre will ensure only certified products are used in Nigeria, encouraging local production and industrialisation,” Aliyu said.
The initiative is part of Nigeria’s broader plan to position itself as Africa’s renewable energy hub, with local production, technical training, and stricter regulation forming the core pillars of that ambition.
REA’s Executive Director of Technical Services, Umar Umar, described the centre as a “dream fulfilled,” noting that it will simplify the technical challenges previously faced by engineers working in solar deployment.
“Before now, our engineers tested panels manually or moved solar boxes across different sites. Today, we can simulate the climate conditions of Sokoto, Delta, or even outside Nigeria, all from one lab,” Umar said.
He added that the facility would be used to set national minimum technical standards, train developers, and serve academic institutions for research purposes.
Huawei Nigeria’s Board Director, Zhang Jing, said the project reflects the company’s commitment to President Tinubu’s agenda of closing Nigeria’s electricity access gap through clean energy solutions. He noted that the systems installed in the centre were specially designed to withstand Nigeria’s harsh weather conditions.
“Huawei is honoured to be part of Nigeria’s journey to energy security,” Zhang said. “This project is not only about technology but about partnership, innovation, and long-term capacity building.”
Industry observers have welcomed the move, describing it as a major leap in local content development, particularly in the clean energy space. With poor regulation previously enabling the influx of substandard solar products, experts say the simulation centre could change the narrative by raising technical standards and providing a structure for enforcement.
Aliyu confirmed that although the first lab is located in Abuja, the REA plans to establish similar centres across its zonal offices nationwide to improve accessibility and impact.
“This is not business as usual,” Aliyu said. “We mean business. We want to ensure that the mini-grids we deploy in unserved and underserved communities stand the test of time and meet global standards.”
The REA also revealed that the facility would be accessible to other government agencies, private developers, and educational institutions for training, certification, and research purposes, further broadening its national impact.
