In a major boost to rural electrification ASolar Limited the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) and the Centre for Climate-Smart Agriculture (CCSA) have entered into a strategic partnership to reduce the energy gap among smallholder farmers across Nigeria.

The partnership facilitated by CCSA aligns both organisations under an innovative initiative known as the Crop for Energy Programme. The scheme is designed to provide farmers with affordable access to solar energy solutions using flexible produce-backed payment structures thereby removing the financial barriers associated with clean energy adoption.

RIFAN the largest farmers’ association in Nigeria with a membership base of over 10 million farmers will mobilise its nationwide rice farmer network to ensure rapid adoption and scalable impact. The President of RIFAN Alhaji Aminu Goronyo and the Chairman of Asolar Ltd. Mr Hakeem Shagaya expressed strong optimism that the collaboration will “transform rural agriculture by unlocking sustainable energy for millions of smallholder farmers”.

In the first phase of implementation ASolar a leading renewable energy solutions provider in Nigeria will deploy clean and reliable solar systems to 60,000 RIFAN members. These systems will provide electricity for farmers’ homes improve household welfare and significantly bridge rural energy poverty. To date ASolar has already distributed over 200,000 units of off-grid solar solutions to remote users without access to the national electricity grid.

CCSA will serve as the Data and Technology Partner leveraging its cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and hyperspectral magnetic-powered Farmers Information System to enable real-time farmer profiling energy needs assessment monitoring and impact evaluation. This data-driven framework will guarantee transparency measurable impact strong return on investment and operational efficiency throughout the project lifecycle.

The initiative directly supports Nigeria’s clean energy transition climate resilience goals and food security agenda by integrating renewable energy digital agriculture and farmer empowerment within a single scalable model. As part of this initiative ASolar will also provide irrigation as a service to RIFAN farmers by the 2026 dry season farming period.

This landmark collaboration represents a powerful convergence of renewable energy agriculture and smart technology setting a new benchmark for sustainable rural development in Nigeria.