Last updated: November 2026 · Reading time: about 9 minutes
What this guide covers
The facts, in one table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Competition | Solar Power Nigeria National Youth Competition 2026 |
| Organisers | Solar Power Nigeria coalition — led by GIFSEP, implemented by NGYouthSDGs |
| Who can enter | Nigerians aged 18–35, resident in any of the 36 states or the FCT |
| Entries open | 11 November 2026 |
| Deadline | 24 November 2026 |
| Winners | Seven Solar Power Nigeria Fellows |
| Grant | ₦390,000 per Fellow, for a three-month project |
| Additional prize | Two Fellows nominate a public primary school or public health facility for a complete solar PV installation |
| Tracks | Advocacy campaign, or practical community solution |
| Engineering background | Not required |
| Cost to enter | Free |
| Selection | Five-member Competition Review Panel; technical review, then pitch sessions |
| Results | Fellows announced in late December 2026 |
| Application link | bit.ly/SPNApply / bit.ly/SPNCompetition |
The competition is the main component of the second phase of the Solar Power Nigeria project, which GIFSEP launched in February 2026 to push for better electricity access for poor and vulnerable Nigerians, particularly women and persons with disabilities. NGYouthSDGs handles the youth engagement component.
What ₦390,000 actually buys
This is the part of the announcement that gets flattened into a headline number.
₦390,000 across three months is about ₦130,000 a month. For a single organiser working in one community, that is a real budget. It covers transport to meetings, printing, a venue for a stakeholder convening, airtime, data, and the cost of producing a report or a short video that a decision-maker will actually watch. It does not cover equipment.
The two solar PV installations are a separate prize, and they are structured differently. The Fellow does not receive the hardware. The Fellow nominates a public primary school or government health facility, GIFSEP procures and installs the system, and there is a public handover event. The institution keeps the installation. The Fellow gets the visibility and the credit for directing it.
The two tracks, and which one is easier to win
The competition accepts entries under two categories, and they reward different things.
| Track | What you propose | What the panel is assessing |
|---|---|---|
| Advocacy campaign | A campaign aimed at decision-makers and the public to improve energy access in a named community or state | Whether you can name the decision, the decision-maker and the evidence that would move them |
| Practical community solution | A community-level intervention showing how better energy access improves real living standards | Whether the idea is achievable in three months on ₦390,000, and whether it produces something measurable |
The advocacy track is easier to win, and it is also easier to fail at. It is easier to win because you do not need equipment, permits or a technical partner — you need a target, a message and a plan. It is easier to fail at because "raise awareness about solar energy" is not a campaign. A campaign names a specific decision: a local government chairman approving a budget line, a state ministry including off-grid solar in a procurement plan, an REA office prioritising a particular ward.
The practical solution track is harder to win and harder to fake. A panel reviewing a practical proposal will ask what happens at month four. If the intervention is a solar-powered study lamp for a classroom, what happens when the lamp fails? If it is a solar kiosk, who runs it after the grant ends? The track rewards ideas that leave something behind.
The gap the competition is responding to
The competition is not a generic youth grant. It is a response to a specific number.
According to Abba Aliyu, Managing Director and CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency, more than 85 million Nigerians have no access to grid electricity, and many of those who are connected receive less than 12 hours of supply a day.
That is the context the organisers are building on, and it explains why the competition is framed around energy access rather than renewable energy. The distinction matters. A solar project that serves a household already on the grid is a different intervention from one that serves a clinic with no connection at all. The competition is aimed at the second.
The organisers have also been explicit about who should benefit most. Itodo Bartholomew, Nigeria Campaign Director for the Secure Energy Project, put it directly: the people hit hardest by energy poverty — women, people with disabilities, and poor and vulnerable Nigerians — must be at the centre of the solution. A proposal that does not identify which of those groups it serves is a weaker proposal.
Why a tailor and a digital creator are the intended applicants
The most useful quote from the launch came from Joshua Alade, Executive Director of NGYouthSDGs:
"You cannot ask a young tailor, a digital creator, or a small business owner to build a livelihood when the power goes off for most of the working day."
He followed it with the framing that defines the competition: "The young people already working around this gap should be the ones designing the way out of it, and we will fund them to do it."
That is why the competition says, explicitly, that you do not need to be an engineer or an energy expert. The organisers are not looking for technical designs. They are looking for people who already understand, from lived experience, what the absence of power costs a business, a classroom or a clinic — and who can turn that understanding into a three-month plan.
How to apply, and what the panel is looking for
- Pick your track and your community. One track, one named state or community. Do not propose a national campaign.
- Name the problem with numbers. Hours of power per day, number of pupils or patients affected, what a clinic currently spends on diesel. The panel is assessing whether you understand the situation, not whether you can describe it poetically.
- Write the three-month plan. What happens in month one, month two and month three. What you will produce. Who you will meet. What changes if it works.
- Budget the ₦390,000. Line by line. A panel that sees a realistic budget trusts the plan. A panel that sees "contingency: ₦200,000" does not.
- Name the decision-maker. If you are on the advocacy track, name the office you are targeting — LGA chairman, state ministry, REA zonal office. Vague targets produce vague campaigns.
- Get a letter of support. A school head, a clinic in-charge, or a community leader confirming they know about the project. It is the cheapest credibility you can add.
- Submit at
bit.ly/SPNApplybefore the deadline. Entry is free.
After submission, a five-member Competition Review Panel conducts a technical review. Shortlisted applicants are invited to pitch sessions, and the seven Fellows are announced in late December 2026.
The deadline detail almost nobody reads
The deadline is 24 November 2026. No closing time has been published.
That is not a small detail. A deadline with no stated time usually means the form closes at some point during the day — and applicants who submit in the final hours risk finding the portal closed. The safe approach is to submit before the end of 23 November, West Africa Time.
The window is also short. Entries opened on 11 November and close on 24 November — thirteen days in total. If you are reading this after roughly 20 November, you have days, not weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply for the Solar Power Nigeria National Youth Competition?
Nigerians aged 18 to 35, living in any of the 36 states or the Federal Capital Territory. You need an idea that addresses an electricity access problem in a community you know, and the ability to deliver a three-month campaign or project if selected. You do not need an engineering or energy background.
What is the deadline?
24 November 2026. Entries opened on 11 November 2026. No closing time has been published, so submitting before the end of 23 November is the safer approach.
How much is the grant and how many people win?
Seven winners are selected as Solar Power Nigeria Fellows. Each receives ₦390,000 to implement a three-month project, along with expert mentorship, access to sector partners, media exposure and opportunities to engage with policymakers.
What are the two tracks?
An advocacy campaign aimed at decision-makers and the public to improve energy access in a named community or state, or a practical community solution showing how better solar access improves real living standards in areas such as education, healthcare or small business.
What is the additional solar PV system prize?
Two outstanding Fellows each nominate a public primary school or government health facility in their community. GIFSEP procures and installs a complete solar photovoltaic system at each, followed by a public handover event. The Fellow nominates the institution; the institution keeps the installation.
Do I need to be an engineer to enter?
No. The organisers state explicitly that applicants do not need an engineering or energy-related background. They are looking for a clear idea and a realistic plan, not a technical design.
How are winners selected?
A five-member Competition Review Panel conducts a technical review of entries. Shortlisted applicants are invited to pitch sessions, and the seven Fellows are announced in late December 2026.
Is there an application fee?
No. Entry is free. Anyone charging a fee to submit or improve an application is not part of the competition.
Where do I apply?
Through the official competition link at bit.ly/SPNApply or bit.ly/SPNCompetition. Read the full announcement on the NGYouthSDGs website before submitting.
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