The Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria has awarded a contract for a project billed as the country’s first floating solar array.

The Nigerian arm of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) won the contract to build the 7 MW floating PV project, to be located on lagoon waters surrounding the University of Lagos.

A social media post published by CCECC Nigeria explains the project will deliver the electricity generated to the academic institution. Further project details, including project costs and timescales, have not been disclosed publicly.

There are relatively few operational floating PV plants across Africa despite research identifying significant potential in deploying solar on the continent’s inland bodies of water. A 2023 study found Africa could generate 100 GW of solar by installing on 1% of its 100,000 sqm of reservoirs. A separate study, also published in 2023, ranked Nigeria fifteenth globally, and second in Africa, for floating solar potential, with the possibility to generate up to 93 TWh annually.

The largest floating solar project under development in Africa is a 600 MW project on Lake Kariba, the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume, on Zimbabwe’s northern border with Zambia. In December, government officials in Zimbabwe said work would begin on the site this year, beginning with an initial 150 MW phase.

The Africa Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) has identified over 4.8 GW of operational solar capacity in Nigeria to date, including 1.4 GW added in 2025.