Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, has said that Nigeria contends with the planet’s largest electricity deficit, which has directly affected about 90 million people.
Represented by Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Atkinson, Richard Montgomery disclosed this information during the first session of the two-day roundtable, which focused on the “Implications and Opportunities for State Electricity Markets” under the Electricity Act 2023, held in Abuja on Wednesday.
The United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructural Advisory Facility has taken up the implementation of the roundtable, backed by funding from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO).
According to the British High Commissioner to Nigeria ’We have a new government here, it has embarked on important microeconomic reforms. The exchange rates and fuel subsidy are bringing short-term pain to the country and the people. But there are positive changes in the medium and long term that will help Nigeria fulfill its potential for the future.’
‘Part of this particularly important moment is Nigeria’s power sector. Unfortunately, the country has the world’s largest electricity deficit. This affects 90 million people. Even those Nigerians who are connected to the grid, face frequent outages and hence don’t get a reliable supply,’ he added.
Pointing to the Electricity Act’s crucial role in the current reforms, Montgomery underlined its primary feature, allowing states to legislate on the production, transmission, and distribution of electricity.
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Charging the Nigeria Governors Forum and stakeholders, the British High Commissioner encouraged them to examine successful and unsuccessful practices from other sub-national systems globally, highlighting the possibility of regional aggregation.
He declared, ‘This is the time to explore new opportunities to scale up electricity to deliver it to more Nigerians.’
In his remarks, the Chairman of NGF and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said the forum believes in partnership and getting divergent views to boost electricity supply.
AbdulRazaq who restated the need to explore new opportunities to boost supply, noted that ‘With the Act, more questions will be thrown up than answers, but this engagement will bring answers. We’re moving into a new area, and which challenges will be enormous.’
Addressing the potential risks and threats associated with the Evolutionary Act, the Kwara State governor assured that the Forum’s support program is aimed at fostering the development of enduring, competitive, and diversified sub-national electricity markets.
In his initial comments, the Director General of the Forum, Asishana Okauru, highlighted how the recent passing of the Electricity Act, 2023 by President Bola Tinubu’s administration has contributed to bolstering the reform efforts within the power sector.
He explained that ‘The Electricity Act 2023 represents a significant milestone towards achieving a stable, reliable, and efficient electricity supply for our people. It provides a legal framework for private sector participation in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.’
He spoke of the NGF’s plans to introduce a flagship project known as the Nigeria Sub-National Electricity Markets Support Program (NSEMSP).
He further stated that the project’s goal is to promote the establishment of sustainable, competitive, and diverse sub-national electricity markets across the country.