Nigeria’s power minister, Joseph Tegbe, has blamed weak coordination across the electricity industry for delaying the expansion of dependable power supplies, as the government announced a new framework for coordinating off-grid energy stakeholders in Abuja on Monday.
Fragmentation slows electrification
Tegbe, who was represented at the event by his Chief of Staff, Adelabu, said the country’s divided power-sector structure was preventing faster progress in bringing electricity to underserved communities.
He described poor coordination as an often-overlooked cost for the industry, resulting in duplicated work, lost investment possibilities and slower power delivery to Nigerians who need access most urgently.
Push for a central coordination platform
Abba Aliyu, managing director of the Rural Electrification Agency, said the sector needed a single platform to map projects already under way and direct available resources more effectively.
He said the growth of Nigeria’s off-grid market—in terms of its size, investment and involvement from public and private institutions—made the creation of an Off-Grid Sector Coordination Secretariat increasingly necessary.
- The proposed secretariat would create an organised mechanism for cooperation among government bodies.
- It would also support coordination with development partners, private-sector operators and other participants in the off-grid market.
- A shared system would help stakeholders identify existing projects and reduce inefficient or overlapping allocation of resources.
