APPRAISING RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY IMPACTS ON GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA, 2015-2025: TRENDS, ISSUES AND CHALLENGES.

Access to reliable and affordable energy is fundamental to grassroots development because electricity supports household welfare, education, healthcare, agricultural production, small-scale enterprises, communication and other productive activities. In Nigeria, persistent electricity deficits, particularly in rural and underserved communities, have encouraged the Federal Government to adopt policies and programmes intended to promote renewable energy and decentralized electricity generation. This paper appraises the impact of Nigeria's renewable energy policy on grassroots development, with particular reference to the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy (NREEEP) and associated renewable-energy interventions. The study is derived from a broader quantitative investigation of selected national policies and grassroots development in Nigeria. It adopts a descriptive research design and uses structured questionnaire data obtained from 827 respondents drawn from selected communities across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and within a time scope of 10 years. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, mean scores and standard deviations, were employed to examine respondents' assessments of the contribution of renewable-energy policy to grassroots development. The analysis indicates that renewable-energy interventions have generated important opportunities for improving electricity access, supporting micro and small businesses, enhancing household welfare and encouraging decentralized energy solutions. However, the aggregate renewable-energy impact score of 2.98 falls marginally below the criterion mean of 3.00, indicating that respondents did not perceive the policy as having achieved a sufficiently significant grassroots impact overall. This suggests that policy potential has not yet translated into commensurate grassroots outcomes. Current trends nevertheless indicate expanding adoption of solar home systems, solar hybrid mini-grids and private-sector-led decentralized electricity solutions. Major challenges include inadequate financing, infrastructure deficits, weak implementation capacity, affordability constraints, regulatory and institutional difficulties, technical capacity gaps and uneven geographical distribution of interventions. The paper recommends stronger rural-energy financing mechanisms, improved institutional coordination, community participation, local technical capacity development, transparent monitoring and evaluation, and greater integration of renewable energy with productive grassroots activities.