Nigeria continues to woo investors in its electricity sector

Power pylons in Nigeria

Nigeria’s federal government continues to tout opportunities for private investment in its huge electricity sector.

The federal minister of of State for Power, Ms. Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi reiterated this when she received a delegation from India’s highest power generation company – Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.

Ms. Kuchi revealed that there were opportunities in all the three chains of electricity adding that there are even more in the renewable like small hydros, solar, wind, waste to fuel and coal to power.

Nigeria is on track to becoming the largest economy in Africa surpassing South Africa by 2017 – a development that will impact on the development and usage of electricity.

According to Ms. Kuchi, there are vast opportunities available for the production of of electricity in short term outside the national grid system. The Jonathan administration is in the process of privatizing 15 state electricity assets in the hope of creating more jobs; improving efficiency and ending decades of rolling blackouts.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., is one of the interested bidders into Nigeria’s electricity sector and has extensive business interests in Asia and Africa.