Lagos - Nigeria | 2026.10.30
A GET.invest policy brief, launched in Kigali at the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum 2026, highlights the role of mesh-grids in bringing reliable electricity to small, dispersed communities across sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on experience in Nigeria, it identifies the optimal financing and regulatory conditions needed to expand access in communities where conventional electrification approaches remain difficult to deploy.
The study draws on the experience of Okra Solar, which pioneered mesh-grids and is now scaling in Nigeria and expanding into several other African markets. Mesh-grids are built for the communities that fall between existing solutions: too small or remote for a mini-grid to pay its way, but needing more power than a solar home system can provide.
The gap is large and growing. Some 563 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still live without electricity, 86% of the global total, according to the 2026 Tracking SDG7 report. Nigeria alone accounts for 87 million. Most live in small, dispersed rural settlements.
Mesh-grids combine solar generation, battery storage and smart controls, allowing neighbouring homes and businesses to share electricity efficiently. They deliver more power than a typical solar home system, enough to run shops, workshops and other productive uses, without the heavy infrastructure or long build times of a conventional mini-grid.
GET.invest’s findings highlight the potential of mesh-grids to provide economically viable electricity services in low-income, sparsely populated communities. In the cases studied, their modular design and shorter distribution lines help reduce the cost of reaching dispersed households and businesses. Compared with mini-grids in the same communities, cost per connection is usually 40% lower and distribution costs are up to 90% lower.
"This is the black swan moment for energy access. Mini-grids are going to energise a lot of big, densely populated communities, interconnected grids are going to provide reliability to struggling areas, and for the hundreds of thousands more communities that would otherwise get left behind, now we can energise them with mesh-grids," said Abba Abubakar Aliyu, Managing Director and CEO of Nigeria's Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
Nigeria has already written mesh-grids into its electrification toolkit. The government has identified them as a key solution for communities with fewer than 500 households and with steady energy users such as shops and small mills. Under DARES, the Nigerian government’s World Bank-backed electrification programme, mesh-grids receive a grant of $300 per connection, compared with $500 or more for mini-grids, and can be up and running in less than half the time.
The research argues that Nigeria offers a replicable model for other African governments. To scale, developers – the local energy companies that install and operate mesh-grids – need access to upfront finance, not subsidies alone. They also need light-touch regulation: simple registration, freedom to negotiate their own tariffs with communities, and clear service standards.
"Nigeria's mesh-grid success comes down to local developers and a forward-thinking government willing to work with them. GET.invest's findings show developers need the freedom to choose their technology and set tariffs with communities, and the working capital to build at the pace Mission 300 demands. With Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency, we're turning our experience in Nigeria into a playbook for the continent, and we invite every African government to come and see mesh-grids working," said Afnan Hannan, CEO, Okra Solar.
Finance is already flowing, British International Investment (BII) recently announced a $7 million debt facility for Okra, enough to buy equipment for around 150,000 new connections and bring power to as many as 750,000 people in rural Nigeria for the first time. Buying components upfront and in bulk will lower costs and cut delivery times to Nigeria from four months to about two.
“Launching this policy brief in Kigali at the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum, we heard strong support from African policymakers and the World Bank for the role of mesh-grids in reaching underserved communities. The priority now is to turn that support into action: (upfront) finance for developers and clear, proportionate regulation that enables large deployment of mesh-grids in Sub-Saharan Africa. Together, these can help bring reliable electricity to small, dispersed communities that remain beyond the reach of existing services,” said Caroline Nijland, Advisor, GET.invest Finance Catalyst.
Okra is planning rapid expansion, with the aim of connecting up to five million people to mesh-grids by 2030. That would make a direct contribution to Mission 300, the World Bank and African Development Bank initiative launched in 2024 to connect 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030.
About Okra Solar
Okra Solar makes hardware and software that let energy companies power remote, off-grid communities profitably. Its mesh-grid links solar and battery systems across a community into energy sharing clusters, maintained and billed from the cloud. Okra works with energy developers in Nigeria, Mozambique and Madagascar. Find out more at www.okrasolar.com.
About GET.Invest
GET.invest is a European programme that mobilises investment in clean energy, closing the gap between finance demand and supply. Since 2016, the programme has supported over 700 projects and companies on their journey to financial close – driving energy market development and unlocking partnerships and investment. Through tailored advisory services, GET.invest empowers project and business developers, while its collaborative approach creates opportunities for financiers and partners to engage in impactful, bankable ventures. Delivered in cooperation with a broad network of partners, the programme forms part of a wider ecosystem of solutions and advises on the full spectrum of clean energy initiatives – from smaller, innovative ventures to utility-scale infrastructure projects. GET.invest currently operates across sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The programme is co-funded by the European Union, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria. Find out more at www.get-invest.eu.
Media Contacts
Tim Ha | Marketing Lead
Email: tim@okrasolar.com
Afnan Hannan | Co-founder & CEO
Email: afnan@okrasolar.com
