Acumen invests in Energy Assured to expand solar irrigation access for smallholder farmers in Nigeria
A pioneering cluster-based irrigation model helps rice farmers replace diesel pumps with affordable solar alternatives that boost incomes and climate resilience.
- Blog
- Renewable energy
- West Africa
Acumen has invested in Energy Assured Nigeria, a last-mile provider of mobile solar irrigation pumps for rice farmers in Northern Nigeria. The investment deepens Acumen’s commitment to powering livelihoods with clean energy, helping smallholder farmers and microentrepreneurs in India and Africa become more efficient, profitable, and climate resilient.
Smallholder rice farmers in Northern Nigeria rely heavily on diesel pumps that come with high fuel costs, operational volatility, and exposure to both market and climate shocks. With the vast majority of Nigeria’s arable farmland lacking irrigation, yields remain low and incomes fragile. Energy Assured addresses these constraints by providing trolley-mounted solar water pumps that are mobile and affordable, stabilizing access to water and unlocking additional cropping cycles that strengthen long-term resilience.
The company’s core innovation is its cluster irrigation-as-a-service model, in which groups of five to 11 farmers pay a flat monthly cluster fee of $56 for shared access to a solar pump for the season. This brings the effective cost for an individual farmer down to as little as $9 per month — a dramatic reduction in the upfront affordability barrier that has long prevented widespread adoption of solar irrigation. Farmers can also pay by selling produce to linked buyers, such as local mills or aggregators, to reduce inflation exposure and credit risk.
Together, these features represent a first-of-its-kind model in the region. Early outcomes highlight its potential: 95% of customers accessed solar irrigation for the first time through Energy Assured, 100% of income-generating users reported higher earnings, and 86% saw a significant improvement in quality of life. The company has impacted more than 20,000 smallholder farmers and avoided over 45,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
“At Energy Assured, our work is grounded in the belief that clean energy should protect both people and the planet. With Acumen’s support, we can show that clean energy is not only affordable, it is essential for building a resilient, food-secure, and sustainable future.”
Ibrahim Aboki, Energy Assured Founder and CEO
Energy Assured is part of Acumen’s $25-million Pioneer Energy Investment Initiative (PEII+), which has invested in everything from portable solar dehydrators for fruits and vegetables to solar-powered cold chain solutions for dairy and perishables. Energy Assured’s preferred-equity investment will be disbursed in two tranches and will help the company procure more inventory and expand operations from its existing customer base in Bauchi and Adamawa to Taraba, Jigawa, and Gombe.
“The potential impacts from solar irrigation are clear,” said Bowofade Elegbede, Acumen’s associate director for portfolio, West Africa. “With most arable land in Nigeria still rain-fed, agricultural productivity remains low and farmers remain vulnerable to climate shocks. Energy Assured’s cluster rental model offers a compelling solution to making this important technology accessible and affordable for the farmers who need it most.”
Looking ahead, Energy Assured is focused on achieving greater impact at scale. The company plans to build two new fabrication centers that strengthen local manufacturing capacity and drive more widespread adoption of climate-resilient irrigation in a region that urgently needs it. With PEII+ as both an anchor investor and strategic partner, Energy Assured is positioned to demonstrate how productive use of energy can unlock meaningful economic opportunity at the last mile, setting a blueprint for climate-smart agriculture across Africa.
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