The British Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Richard Montgomery, stated that the country has the largest electricity deficit in the world.
While speaking at a roundtable on the Electricity Act 2023, Montgomery revealed that Nigeria’s prosperity is dependent on the country getting its power sector right.
The two-day roundtable themed: “Implications and Opportunities for State Electricity Markets,” was organized by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
Montgomery was represented at the roundtable by the Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms. Gill Atkinson. He urged Nigeria to find ways to connect the dots between the power sector and inclusive growth.
He said: “This is the time to explore new opportunities to scale up electricity delivery to more Nigerians.
“We need to give primacy to ways to promote expanded renewable integration, both on and off-grid.
“Nigeria gave fantastic commitments to COP26 and to the future of its power sector. This forum will help Nigeria to deliver those commitments.
“We also need to find ways to connect the dots between the power sector and inclusive growth. Nigeria’s prosperity depends on getting the power sector right.”
“We have a new government here. It has embarked on important macroeconomic reforms. The exchange rate and the fuel subsidy are bringing short-term pain to the country and to the people of the country.
“These are positive changes in the medium to long term that will help Nigeria to fulfill its potential for the future.
“Part of this, and a particularly important moment, is Nigeria’s power sector. Unfortunately, the country has the world’s largest absolute electricity deficit.
“This affects 90 million people. Even those Nigerians who are connected to the grid face frequent outages and do not get reliable supply.”
