Energy & Science
Nigeria Bets on Solar to Power Its Covid Recovery
Suleiman Babamanu is helping the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria implement the country’s largest investment in solar energy.
Suleiman Babamanu at a solar power installation site in Abuja, Nigeria.
Photographer: KC Nwakalor/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Suleiman Babamanu’s path to the heart of Nigeria’s biggest solar power program started in disappointment.
After university he worked as a trainee geoscientist for a unit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. A job in the industry—Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer—would have been a traditional route, and a lucrative one. But he couldn’t find employment.