MOPO, an African clean energy company, has announced plans to invest up to $75 million in Nigeria by 2030 to expand its solar-powered battery rental network, following the signing of an agreement with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) aimed at improving electricity access across the country.
The company disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, July 20, stating that the partnership with REA will culminate in the launch of a Nigeria Smart Battery Rental Programme.
It added that government support is helping fast-track a pilot phase scheduled for December 2026, which is expected to serve as a model for expanding electricity access to Nigerians living without or with unreliable power supply.
Nigeria’s persistent electricity challenge
Nigeria has the world’s largest electricity access deficit, with more than 85 million people lacking access to electricity. Even among households and businesses connected to the national grid, electricity supply remains unreliable, forcing millions of Nigerians in both urban and rural communities to depend on petrol and diesel generators for daily power needs.
The reliance on self-generation has also imposed a significant financial burden on households and small businesses. According to a report by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), Nigerians spend an estimated $10 billion (about N7.6 trillion) annually on fuel and maintenance for small petrol generators.
The country’s electricity shortfall has continued to constrain economic activities, particularly for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that depend on affordable and reliable power to operate.
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How MOPO and REA plan to address the gap
Through the partnership, MOPO and REA intend to introduce a Smart Battery Rental Programme, allowing households and small businesses to rent portable, solar-charged batteries instead of purchasing expensive solar systems outright.
Under MOPO’s energy-as-a-service model, solar-powered battery hubs are installed within communities and regularly recharged using solar energy. Customers rent fully charged batteries for a daily fee, use them to power their homes or businesses, and return depleted batteries to the nearest hub for freshly charged replacements. This eliminates the high upfront cost of buying solar panels, batteries and inverters while giving users access to clean electricity on a pay-as-you-go basis.
The portable batteries come in different sizes. Smaller units are designed to power lights, mobile phones and other low-energy devices, while larger batteries can operate televisions, fans, refrigerators and many household and business appliances. MOPO said it also plans to introduce additional battery and energy solutions in the near future.
Under the memorandum of understanding, both organisations will jointly design the Smart Battery Rental Programme through a working group that will meet every two weeks ahead of the pilot launch. REA will help develop the regulatory framework for battery rentals as an energy access solution, facilitate engagement with relevant government agencies and potential financiers, and integrate the pilot into its results-based financing programmes.
MOPO, on its part, will lead programme design, install solar battery hubs, manage its agent-based distribution model and mobilise the working capital required to deploy the network nationwide. The December 2026 pilot will serve as the first phase before wider national expansion.
“Through the Smart Battery Rental Programme, we are creating an enabling environment where investment delivers both electricity access and economic opportunity, accelerating Nigeria’s energy transition portfolio into a competitive clean energy hub for Africa,” said Abba Abubakar Aliyu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency.
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MOPO’s Chief Executive Officer, Chris Longbottom, said the company has rapidly expanded its operations, increasing monthly battery rentals from 150,000 in 2023 to 1.6 million today, demonstrating growing demand for affordable, off-grid electricity solutions across Africa.
“REA’s approach to energy access is genuinely forward-thinking, backing a wide range of tools, including battery rental, to reach Nigerians who need power. That’s the enlightened, all-hands-on-deck thinking this sector needs, and it means MOPO can move even faster,” Longbottom said.
The company currently operates in Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, where it has completed more than 42 million battery rentals, with over half recorded during the past 18 months. MOPO employs about 300 staff and works with approximately 2,000 community agents, nearly half of whom are based in Nigeria, to distribute batteries across underserved communities.