ABSTRACT

This thesis project research was conducted as part of the CONNECT project at Laurea Univer-sity of Applied Sciences. The project concerns the investigation of the current renewable en-ergy market entry and opportunities for Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Nigerian economy. The goals is to support growth and accelerate the internationalization of small and medium-sized Finnish renewable energy companies within developing countries and to determine how they can achieve market entry in the renewable energy resource busi-ness in Nigeria.

There is great demand for electricity in the country due to its high consumption, and this the-sis will study the demand for renewable energy resources in Nigeria, identify the main com-petitors and discover the best periods for market entry in Nigeria.

A qualitative method of analysis was used in this thesis project, and a questionnaire survey was sent to three energy organizations in Nigeria. These included the International Centre for Energy, Environment & Development; the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN); and the Coun-cil for Renewable Energy in Nigeria.

The investigation of this thesis project provides information needed to establish renewable energy in rural and urban areas in Nigeria. The Nigerian government is encouraging energy companies to invest in the country and special energy policies for foreign investors have been organized, such as a tax reduction plan for energy investors, and the relaxing of energy poli-cy.

Nigeria is a nation with great potential for renewable energy solutions, such as sunlight which might be productive for solar power solution, and plentiful bio-waste for biomass energy pro-duction. The renewable energy solutions that Nigeria requires most are solar power, hydro-power, wind power, and biomass energy power and the best solution for the energy crisis in Nigeria is through the use of solar power solutions.