Theoretical Framework for Distributed Renewable Energy Systems Governance in Fragile States: Evidence from North East Nigeria

Distributed renewable energy systems deployed in fragile and conflict-affected settings such as North East Nigeria present governance challenges that existing theoretical frameworks, largely developed from stable institutional contexts, inadequately address, creating a significant gap in sustainable energy governance theory. This study develops an original theoretical framework for governing distributed renewable energy systems in fragile state contexts, drawing on empirical evidence from solar mini-grid and off-grid solar programmes operating across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States. The research employs an interpretivist ontology and applies institutional ethnography and actor-network theory as complementary analytical lenses to examine how governance arrangements are constructed, contested, and adapted under conditions of institutional fragility, displacement, and post-conflict recovery. Multi-sited fieldwork incorporating participant observation, 62 semi-structured interviews with programme managers, community leaders, regulatory actors, and beneficiaries, and documentary analysis of 34 programme governance documents was conducted over 14 months. Grounded theory coding procedures were applied iteratively to develop emergent theoretical propositions. The resulting framework identifies five governance dimensions uniquely salient in fragile contexts: legitimacy substitution, adaptive redundancy, conflict-sensitive design, temporal uncertainty management, and humanitarian-development handover protocols. The framework challenges prevailing market-centric governance models by demonstrating that relational governance capacity building and customary authority integration are necessary conditions for durable distributed energy system governance in fragile settings. Keywords: governance theory, distributed energy systems, fragile states, North East Nigeria, institutional ethnography.