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There is an established link between the availability of reliable and adequate energy supplies and economic growth and development. Based on this link, this study assesses the potential and challenges of the renewable energy sub-sector in addressing an energy deficit that has been identified as one of the obstacles hindering economic development in Nigeria. Through an analysis of various documents, the research made two important findings: First, Nigeria recognizes and has analysed its potential in a variety of renewable energy sources for possible exploitation to diversify its energy mix. Second, although there are policies to drive the renewable energy development projects, the lack of legislative backing and various systemic challenges are hindering the deep entrenchment of this thrust. The research concludes that public and private policy coherence is critical for Nigeria to develop an economically and technically viable renewable energy sub-sector to supplement its current energy supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies are not an end in themselves, but deliberate systems of principles to guide decisions and achievement of rational outcomes. Many factors inherent in or transcending policy processes have dramatic consequences for how policies are interpreted and applied. In this article, we deploy the concept of 'policy gridlocks' to better understand factors that facilitate or hinder implementation of single or multiple policies in different African policy arenas. We argue that minimizing or ameliorating 'policy gridlocks' requires stakeholders to quantify and more directly feel the cost of their decisions and actions, while scholars must continue to search for institutional means to prevent gridlocks, including broadening the array of conceptual and analytical tools for understanding policy processes. We conclude that limits in financial resources, technical expertise and legislative capacity are the more powerful drivers of policy formulation, implementation and revision gridlocks that need to be addressed, than fragmentation of stakeholder interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]