Opening day
The RVO and Larive International welcomed a delegation of Nigerian renewable-energy leaders and experts to the Netherlands for an intensive programme last month. Day one set the tone for the coming days: clear objectives and a shared commitment to accelerate bankable clean-energy and solar solutions across Nigeria. With Dutch public and private partners well represented during the sessions, the delegation and the partners aligned on where collaboration creates the most value: reliable technology, robust service models, and projects that scale sustainably.
Access to finance
Unlocking capital is crucial to amplifying the impact of renewable energy. The ‘Access to Finance’ day brought together financiers and ecosystem enablers with whom the delegation identified instruments for project and trade finance, working capital, guarantees and early-stage capital. Contributors included FMO, Atradius, Invest International, Mirova, GOGLA, OHV Export Finance B.V., Goodwell Investments and Africa Catalytic Investment Partners (ACIP). Through keynotes, panel discussions, and round tables, the entire room collaborated to map concrete pathways to de-risk projects and match the right capital to the right phase. Ultimately, a day of moving from interest to potential investment.
Meet & greet with Dutch businesses
The marketplace-style ‘Meet & Greet’ turned out to be a very good conversation starter. Fourteen Dutch companies showcased solutions spanning generation, storage, system integration, services and circular innovation: AAAS Energy B.V.; Africa Catalytic Investment Partner; Dutch & Co. Ltd.; Holsom Energy; IQ Group B.V.; OMRON; Partners for Innovation; Redexus Europe B.V.; Solar Container; SolarTechno B.V.; Spark B.V.; Topec International B.V.; Independent Energy, Victron Energy. In curated one-to-one sessions, the companies explored technical fit, after-sales models, local assembly, and route-to-market partnerships. In turn, laying the groundwork for pilots and MoUs.
Field visits: The Green Village, Delft & the Port of Rotterdam
Seeing is believing. At The Green Village (Delft University of Technology), the delegation experienced living-lab demonstrations of decentralised energy systems, storage and smart-grid integration, and the practicalities of scaling innovation. A full day at the Port of Rotterdam highlighted logistics, safety and industrial-energy applications. This day showed how robust supply chains, standards and maintenance regimes underpin reliability. Discussions focused on how these Dutch best practices translate to Nigerian conditions: climate, grid constraints, O&M capacity and total cost of ownership.
Conclusion
Across four days, the participants built both contacts and confidence. By aligning technology, finance, and execution, the Dutch–Nigerian teams are now positioned to move from promising conversations to concrete projects. Projects that deliver reliable power, resilient communities and measurable impact. Larive International laid the groundwork; now it is up to the participants to connect the dots. Doing so by de-risking investment, catalysing partnerships and helping both sides scale what works. Together, we are creating the bridges that turn ambition into action.
