ABUJA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's ongoing power sector reforms will accelerate infrastructure development, strengthen the national grid, and restore investor confidence, Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said on Friday, expressing confidence that the measures will improve electricity supply in Africa's most populous country.
Speaking to the media in the southwestern state of Lagos, Tegbe said the comprehensive reforms are expected to address longstanding structural challenges in the power sector to make electricity supply more accessible, reliable, and financially sustainable.
Despite an installed generation capacity of more than 13,000 megawatts and a population exceeding 230 million, Nigeria generates only about 5,000 megawatts of electricity that households and businesses depend on. The national grid has suffered repeated collapses in recent years, disrupting electricity supply across large parts of the country.
Highlighting the growing adoption of renewable energy, Tegbe said that many factories, offices, and commercial facilities now generate more electricity than they consume through solar power systems.
Nigeria's net-metering policy would allow consumers to feed surplus electricity back into the national grid, he said, adding that a new solar farm is expected to be commissioned within the next six months.
According to the minister, the government is advancing power sector reforms by addressing technical, commercial, governance, and liquidity challenges that have constrained the industry's development.
He also dismissed media reports that the government plans to remove electricity subsidies, saying the government would begin implementing measures to resolve this challenge by next year.
"Our objective is clear: make electricity more available, make the grid more reliable, make the market financially sustainable, and restore investors' confidence," Tegbe said.
He added that the government would measure success not only by electricity generation but also by improved access to reliable power for households, businesses, and industries. ■