The development of resilient energy systems is important for sustainable cities and communities. However, in countries with insufficient national energy supply, electricity distributors rarely consider remote communities due to their distant settlement, low electricity demand and poor payment capabilities. The United Nations has set a goal to deliver universal energy access by 2030, hence, it has become imperative to deploy clean and affordable off-grid mini-grid solutions to previously abandoned communities. Access to energy in rural communities is expected to result in unlocking their economic potentials. This paper investigates the impact of a solar hybrid mini-grid on the socio-economic growth of local entrepreneurs in Gbamu Gbamu village, Nigeria. A total of 83 Micro and Small Enterprises has been surveyed, descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-test, cross-tabulation, and Chi-square test, were used to assess the performance of businesses before and after electrification. The outcomes include the number of business enterprises created, employment statistics, energy expenses and income generated. Regression analysis was conducted on the relationship between the average income generated by businesses and independent socio-economic variables such as gender, marital status, household size, age, education level, years of business establishment, hours of operation, building tenure, capital source, number of employees, generator ownership and the days of operation.

This study investigated the impact of mini-grid on business activities by comparing the socio-economic situation of MSE in the village before and after the electric power system was developed. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire with carefully and scientifically formulated questions on; social information of business owners, income-generating activities in the village, income generated by the business owners, energy expenses, and pattern of usage of petrol or diesel generator for businesses. The questionnaires were administered by a face-to-face method to 83 business owners in the village. The respondents consisted of individuals who own or rent commercial outlets or kiosks and require electricity. The results from the field survey were analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Statistical tests were also conducted to compare the relationship between the sampled variables.