Lagos, Nigeria – 23 October 2025
On Wednesday, 8 October, Chapel Hill Denham convened leading voices in Nigeria’s renewable energy sector for a strategic roundtable focused on accelerating scalable Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) solutions. With over 90 million Nigerians lacking access to reliable electricity, participants agreed that bridging the energy gap requires long-term, sustainable infrastructure backed by local-currency financing tailored to Nigeria’s macroeconomic environment.
Chapel Hill Denham is actively addressing this challenge through two pioneering investment vehicles: The Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund (NIDF) — the largest naira-denominated infrastructure fund in Sub-Saharan Africa; and the Energy Transition and Access Facility for Africa (ETAFA). To date, these platforms have deployed over ₦70 billion in local-currency financing across mini-grids, solar home systems, and commercial & industrial (C&I) renewable projects, bringing clean energy access to more homes, communities, and enterprises across Nigeria.
The roundtable, opened by Bolaji Balogun, Chief Executive Officer, Chapel Hill Denham, featured perspectives from Phil Southwell, Chapel Hill Denham; Sunkanmi Dairo, Havenhill Synergy; Olu Aruike, Husk Power Systems; Ayo Ademilua, A4&T Power Solutions; Seun Edun, PowerGen; Anthony Usifo, Privida Power; John Nnaji, Darway Coast; Ifeanyi Orajaka, GVE; and Dolapo Kukoyi, Open Spaces & Bridges.
Key insights from the discussions included the need to move beyond grant-reliant models and toward bankable, commercially sustainable projects. Speakers emphasised that success depends on delivering value to all stakeholders—developers, investors, regulators, and host communities—through proper project structuring, equity participation, and strategic partnerships. The conversation also highlighted the importance of blended capital structures and building strong developer balance sheets that can attract long-term institutional capital.
The roundtable reaffirmed Chapel Hill Denham’s commitment to leading Nigeria’s clean energy transition through scalable local-currency financing and strategic collaboration with the public and private sectors.
