Electrifying the Global South: Lessons from India and Nigeria’s energy transformation |
Since the turn of the century, India has achieved a remarkable transformation in electricity access. In 2000, only 56 percent of Indian households were connected to electricity, leaving nearly half the population in darkness. By 2026, India has nearly doubled this figure, with almost every household now enjoying electricity access. This progress has made India one of the world’s largest contributors to reducing the global electricity deficit, cutting the number of unelectrified people from 1.4 billion to around 730 million.
India’s success demonstrates that with determined policy frameworks, strategic investments, and innovative approaches, electrification at a national scale is achievable. Today, other countries with significant unelectrified populations, particularly in the Global South, are looking to replicate this success. Among them, Nigeria stands out as a country on the cusp of a major energy transformation. With one of the largest populations without electricity in the world, Nigeria’s electrification efforts could become a pivotal example for other emerging economies.
A critical lesson from India’s experience is the importance of integration in energy systems. Achieving scale and resilience in electricity access requires a diversified approach where energy is generated from multiple sources and managed through coordinated transmission, distribution, storage, and end-use systems. A fragmented approach, where generation, distribution, and consumption are treated as isolated elements, fails to deliver consistent and reliable access.
Nigeria is implementing a model that reflects this integrated approach. The government has mandated that distribution companies source at least 10 percent of electricity from embedded generation, with half of that coming from renewable sources. This measure ensures that small-scale generation is not only encouraged but embedded within the broader energy system, creating a network that is resilient to disruptions in the main grid.
Complementing these mandates, Nigeria is developing a network of interconnected mini-grids. These grids are designed to link to the existing national grid, which is often unreliable, ensuring that even areas previously underserved by the main infrastructure gain access to consistent electricity. This hybrid approach of combining mini-grids with central infrastructure mirrors........