REA, FCMB, Others Launch $188m Green Finance Investment Facility

Oluchi Chibuzor

The Green Finance Investment Facility (GFiF) – a blended‑finance platform designed to attract large‑scale private and institutional capital for distributed renewable‑energy projects in Nigeria – has officially begun operations.

The facility is being launched by Barton Heyman Limited together with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), UK PACT, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and ARMHIIL. It seeks to raise $188 million to fund 191 megawatts of distributed solar capacity that will serve households, communities and businesses across the country.

GFiF also backs the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale‑Up (DARES) programme, a national initiative aimed at expanding electricity access through decentralised renewable‑energy solutions.

During the launch, Olumide Lala, Managing Partner of Barton Heyman Limited, explained that the facility operates on a market‑driven model that can unlock private capital for Nigeria’s energy transition.

“The Green Finance Investment Facility is more than a financing arrangement; it represents direct support for over one million Nigerians. Nigeria’s distributed renewable energy sector can be financed using a private‑sector framework that leverages sovereign pipelines, results‑based funding, and commercial loans to attract private capital at the national level,” he said.

Anthony Feyitimi, Senior Partner at Barton Heyman, added: “The Green Finance and Investment Facility is not simply about clean energy. It is about what reliable, distributed power makes possible for Nigeria’s economy. Every megawatt we finance is a business that can operate, a supply chain that can function, a community that can compete.”

Abba Aliyu, Managing Director of the REA, noted that the initiative directly tackles one of the sector’s most pressing challenges – access to finance.

Speaking on behalf of FCMB, George Ogbonnaya, Senior Vice President and Divisional Head of the Business Banking Group, highlighted the bank’s growing role in renewable‑energy financing and inclusive infrastructure development.