By Francis Ajuonuma
As millions of Nigerians battle erratic electricity supply, soaring energy costs and repeated grid failures, off-grid energy investor All On has rolled out a fresh intervention aimed at accelerating home-grown solutions to the country’s deepening power crisis.
The organisation announced the launch of the 2026 All On Off-Grid Energy Challenge. This nationwide competition will provide between $200,000 and $1 million in blended funding to Nigerian clean energy companies developing innovative solutions for underserved and unserved communities.
Applications for the challenge opened on July 2 and will close on July 31.
The initiative comes at a time when businesses and households are increasingly turning to alternative energy sources amid concerns that the national grid cannot meet growing demand.
According to All On, the competition seeks to identify and support entrepreneurs building scalable and commercially viable solutions in renewable energy, productive use technologies, energy efficiency, cold chain systems, and other off-grid applications that can drive economic growth and improve livelihoods.
Successful applicants will receive not only funding but also technical assistance and investment-readiness support from the All On Hub team.
Speaking at the launch, Innovation Hub Manager, Sele Inegbedion, said the organisation was convinced that the solutions to Nigeria’s energy challenge already exist within the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“The Off-Grid Energy Challenge exists because we believe the solutions to Nigeria’s energy problems already live within Nigeria, in the minds and hands of our entrepreneurs,” he said.
“Our role is to find them, back them, and walk with them as they grow. This year, we are doing that with more capital and more conviction than ever before.”
He urged innovators working in neglected communities to seize the opportunity.
“If you are building something that brings light and economic opportunity to communities that have been left behind, we want to hear from you,” Inegbedion added.
Chief Executive Officer of All On, Caroline Eboumbou, said experience had shown that patient capital and targeted support could deliver transformational results in the off-grid sector.
“Nigeria’s off-grid energy sector has proven, year after year, that the right kind of support that is patient, flexible, and rooted in deep market understanding can produce transformational outcomes,” she said.
According to her, the challenge reflects the company’s determination to invest heavily in entrepreneurs tackling one of Nigeria’s most difficult development problems.
“The Off-Grid Energy Challenge is one of the most direct expressions of what All On stands for: putting serious capital behind entrepreneurs who are dedicated to solving one of our country’s most pressing challenges,” Eboumbou stated.
Since its inception in 2018, the programme has committed $3.6 million to 36 Nigerian-owned companies, supporting projects that have delivered clean energy access to more than 150,000 Nigerians.
This year’s edition places greater emphasis on projects that transform electricity access into economic opportunities through agro-processing, cold storage, healthcare delivery and small-scale enterprises.
The challenge will also support innovations in mini-grids, solar home systems and interventions targeted at improving outcomes for women and young people.
To qualify, applicants must be majority Nigerian-owned and managed for-profit companies legally registered and operating in Nigeria.
Applicants are also expected to demonstrate innovation, a viable business model and a credible strategy for extending energy access to communities long neglected by conventional electricity infrastructure.
