Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says Nigeria is set to secure a $190 million renewable energy loan supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to expand access to clean electricity.

Adelabu disclosed this during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama, Japan, where the Nigerian delegation, led by President Bola Tinubu, held high-level discussions on power, infrastructure, and industrial transformation.

According to the Ministry of Power, the loan will scale distributed renewable energy solutions across underserved communities, building on the recently launched $750 million World Bank Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme aimed at reaching 17 million Nigerians.

The loan is also expected to support grid expansion, including over 200km of new transmission lines, multiple substations, and line extensions. Three JICA-funded substations in Abuja, Nasarawa, and Lagos are also set for commissioning.

Adelabu further met with Japanese corporations such as Toshiba, Hitachi, and Japan’s transmission firms to discuss infrastructure upgrades, operational efficiency, and reducing system losses.

Speaking at a panel session, the minister noted that only 55–60 percent of Nigerians currently have electricity access, much of it unreliable. He highlighted government efforts to expand urban grid supply while accelerating solar mini-grids and standalone systems in rural areas.

Adelabu acknowledged challenges including limited capital, high rural energy costs, and under-utilisation of productive-use equipment but reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling them through private-sector partnerships, local manufacturing, and supportive policies.

He commended JICA and the Japanese government for their long-standing support to Nigeria’s power sector and expressed optimism for strengthened collaboration.