Solar Installation Business Launch Kit
Launch a solar installation business on Africa’s second-largest solar market: verified training routes, the real 2026 rulebook, honest system-sizing, sourcing without getting burned, and quality as your moat.
by Sankofa Skills Studio · vetted expert author
What you'll gain
Enter Africa’s second-fastest-growing solar market the way survivors do: verified training routes and the real NEMSA ladder, sizing that never dies at night, component verification that beats the counterfeit wave, honest 2026 pitch math, and two fully-priced business models — labour-first or a ₦2.5M company.
Pass a real exam and earn a publicly verifiable certificate employers trust.
Unlimited practice mode + spaced-repetition flashcards, then unlimited exam retakes.
Keep the lessons and every future update to this course, forever.
What you'll cover
18 modules · 25 lessons · timed certification exam
1. The honest map 2 lessons
The strongest market moment Nigerian solar has ever had, the reputation problem that defines the business, and what this course honestly is and is not.
- The moment, the reputation problem, and the two builders · 9 min
- The words of the trade (and the numbers behind them) · 6 min
2. Rung 0 — Get skilled: the verified training map 2 lessons
What a competent installer must actually know, the Nigerian trainers verified live (and the defunct ones still ranking on Google), and the NEMSA certification ladder from the regulator’s own scheme.
- The competence stack — and where to buy it, verified · 10 min
- The NEMSA ladder — your legal licence, from the regulator’s own scheme · 10 min
3. Rung 0 — The 2026 rulebook 2 lessons
Net billing taught correctly (including what you may NOT pitch), when a project becomes a mini-grid, the state-market shift, the install rules, and the import-duty truth.
- Net billing and mini-grids: what you may truthfully pitch · 11 min
- Install rules and the import truth · 9 min
4. Rung 0 — Sizing systems that survive the night 2 lessons
The load-audit method, the five-step sizing flow worked on three real profiles, and the battery-chemistry honesty that protects your name.
- The five-step method, worked on three real profiles · 13 min
- Battery honesty: chemistry, grades, and the junk in new clothing · 9 min
5. CHECKPOINT 1 — The competence gate 1 lessons
No quotes until you can size: three drills, answers annotated, plus the training-enrolment decision.
- Pass the gate: size these three, commit to one enrolment · 8 min
6. Rung 1 — Sourcing gear without getting burned 2 lessons
Dated component prices, the distributor landscape, the verification drill (serials, flash tests, BMS counts), warranty pass-through — and the ₦3.3bn lesson in supplier fraud.
- The July-2026 price sheet and where to buy · 10 min
- The verification drill: serials, flash tests, BMS counts — and warranty truth · 11 min
7. Rung 1 — Quoting and closing 2 lessons
The seven-zone quote, honest 2026 pitch math that beats 2015 folklore, the objection playbook for “solar no dey work”, and payment discipline that prevents the documented disputes.
- The quote that closes — and the 2026 pitch math · 12 min
- The objection playbook and payment discipline · 10 min
8. Rung 1 — Install day protocol 1 lessons
Safety non-negotiables, the regulator’s own quality checklist, the witnessed commissioning test, and the handover pack that prevents disputes.
- Safety, quality, commissioning, handover · 11 min
9. CHECKPOINT 2 — First-install debrief 1 lessons
The gate between doing an install and running an install business: the debrief that converts each job into system.
- Debrief the first install like a business · 6 min
10. Rung 2 — The customer-acquisition engine 2 lessons
Referrals and demo installs, WhatsApp as trade infrastructure, the estate and B2B channels, and the financing landscape that actually closes 2026 deals.
- The flywheel: referrals, WhatsApp, estates, B2B · 11 min
- Financing that closes: PAYGo, banks, platforms · 9 min
11. Rung 2 — THE MONEY MAP 1 lessons
Both business models priced end-to-end: Ibrahim’s labour-first ladder and Ngozi’s ₦2.5M company — margins, break-even, and the FX/price-war sensitivity rows.
- Ibrahim’s labour-first model and Ngozi’s company, priced · 13 min
12. Rung 2 — After-sales: the recurring-revenue moat 1 lessons
Maintenance contracts, monitoring apps, the battery-replacement pipeline — and why after-sales is the defence cheap competitors cannot copy.
- The service ladder: contracts, monitoring, replacements · 9 min
13. CHECKPOINT 3 — Pipeline review 1 lessons
The gate between doing jobs and running a company: utilisation, referral rate, margin per install — measured, not felt.
- Pass the gate: three numbers, honestly computed · 6 min
14. Rung 3 — The Scam & Failure Museum 1 lessons
Documented, dated, attributed: the frauds aimed at your customers and at you, the fires, the thefts — and the disciplines that answer each.
- Four quadrants of documented failure · 12 min
15. Rung 3 — Formalise and grow 1 lessons
CAC, corporate NEMSA, the associations with real fees and real activity, crews, and the verified programme channels (DARES) with honest entry paths.
- Company, associations, crews, programmes · 10 min
16. Your launch plan — this week, 30 days, 90 days 1 lessons
The staged launch with skills first, the 30-day checklist, and the 90-day roadmap that refuses to skip rungs.
- This week, day 30, day 90 · 8 min
17. Show me — Ngozi’s first SME deal, end to end 1 lessons
One real-shaped deal walked from enquiry to six-month follow-up: audit, sizing, quote, pitch, install, handover, and the after-sales that makes it compound.
- From enquiry to follow-up: one deal, every artefact · 12 min
18. Practice & self-review 1 lessons
Sizing and quote drills, the fake-component spotting drill, objection sparring — and the operator scorecard before the exam.
- Drills: size it, quote it, spot the fake, answer the doubt · 10 min
Frequently asked
Is the certificate verifiable?
Yes. Every certificate carries a unique ID and a cryptographic signature. Anyone — an employer or a client — can confirm it instantly on our public verification page, with no login.
Who teaches this course?
A vetted expert author — Sankofa Skills Studio. Every expert course is reviewed and fact-checked before publication, and the author earns a revenue share on your enrolment.
How long do I have access?
Lifetime. Once you enrol you keep access to the lessons, practice mode and flashcards — including future updates to this course.
What happens if I don't pass the exam first time?
You can retake it. There's no attempt limit, and practice mode lets you rehearse with the same verified question bank until you're ready.
Can my team enrol together?
Yes. Talk to us about group and organisation rates — certifying a whole team is faster and cheaper than one at a time.
Continue your path
Learners taking this course often go on to: