Original Contribution to Knowledge on Feed-In Tariff Design for Sub-Saharan African Electricity Markets: Lessons from Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya

Feed-in tariff design for sub-Saharan African electricity markets requires original theoretical development because existing tariff design principles, derived from European market contexts characterised by high grid reliability, strong institutional capacity, and liquid capital markets, demonstrate systematic failures when transposed to markets with structural currency risk, infrastructure deficits, and nascent regulatory institutions. This study makes an original contribution to knowledge on feed-in tariff design adapted to sub-Saharan African electricity markets through a comparative institutional analysis of Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, triangulating programme performance data, investor interviews, regulatory documentation, and political economy analysis. The study applies new institutional economics and transaction cost theory as analytical foundations, extending these frameworks with an original model of African electricity market institutional complementarities. Comparative case analysis follows a structured focused comparison design with process tracing to identify causal mechanisms linking specific tariff design features to investment outcomes across the three country contexts. The original theoretical contribution comprises a Context-Adaptive Feed-In Tariff Design Model specifying mandatory and optional design features differentiated by a market context typology. Key findings confirm that currency risk allocation mechanisms, grid connection standards, and dispute resolution architecture are the design dimensions most strongly associated with investment mobilisation in sub-Saharan African contexts, and that institutional complementarity between tariff design and broader electricity sector regulatory quality is a necessary precondition for programme success. Keywords: feed-in tariff design, sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria, comparative institutional analysis, investment mobilisation.