What drives clean solar technology adoption in West Africa? A case study of Ghana and Nigeria
Résumé
Abstract Clean energy innovation and adoption is critical to addressing energy poverty in West Africa. This article focuses on identifying which drivers actually govern solar technology adoption in West Africa and how energy users themselves interpret them. By utilizing a mixed method approach that combines desk review of academic and policy literature with field visits (direct observation and stakeholder interviews across Nigeria and Ghana) we explored the major drivers of clean solar energy adoption. The field engagement was conducted between November 2023 and January 2026, and the resulting observations and discussion notes were analyzed thematically and compared across (residential, commercial and industrial) sectors in Nigeria and Ghana. We found that two drivers, availability and affordability, dominated user decisions in practice, whose meaning differs (between the two countries, by the sectors studied, and from the global energy access definitions). This study reveals that: (1) local context and sector-specific meanings shape solar energy technology adoption and use across countries and sectors; (2) solar adoption strategies substitute for unreliable electricity supply in Nigeria, while in Ghana it substitutes for higher grid tariff. It concludes by highlighting the need for a clear understanding of the contextual dimensions of these drivers for effective interventions.
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