Solving Nigeria’s electricity crisis through alternative energy sources

Nigeria faces a severe energy crisis with 60-70% of its population lacking regular electricity access and an average output of 5,000 MW against an installed capacity of 12,522 MW. The report identifies critical bottlenecks including a non-cost-reflective tariff regime, a N1 trillion revenue shortfall as of December 2016, and significant gas flaring despite the country ranking 9th globally in natural gas reserves. While hydropower provided approximately 32% of supply in 2015, other renewables like solar and wind remain underdeveloped. The author recommends the total deregulation of the gas sector, universal metering to close a gap of 4.09 million customers, and the implementation of the renewable energy masterplan to achieve a 10% renewable energy contribution by 2025.

• Nigeria's electricity supply is severely inadequate, with an average output of 5,000 MW compared to an installed capacity of 12,522 MW, leaving 60-70% of the population without regular access to electricity.
• The power sector suffers from extreme liquidity challenges, including a N1 trillion revenue shortfall by the end of December 2016 and debts to commercial banks exceeding US$12.52 billion in the last quarter of 2016.
• Despite having the largest natural gas reserves in Africa and ranking 9th globally, Nigeria flares approximately 17.2 billion m3 of gas annually due to high regulation and a tariff system that fails to incentivize investment.
• Revenue collection is hindered by a significant metering gap of approximately 4.09 million customers and unpaid debts from government agencies and military facilities totaling about N93 billion.
• Renewable energy is underutilized; while hydropower contributed about 32% of electric supply in 2015, the government's renewable energy masterplan targets a 10% total energy consumption contribution from renewables by 2025.
• The national grid faces technical constraints that limit electricity generation to between 5,000 and 5,500 MW.

APA

Ibirogba, E. (2018). Solving Nigeria’s electricity crisis through alternative energy sources. Good Governance Africa. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2018/08/NGI-Solving-Nigerias-Electricity-crisis.pdf

Chicago

Ibirogba, Eniayo. Solving Nigeria’s electricity crisis through alternative energy sources. Good Governance Africa, 2018. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2018/08/NGI-Solving-Nigerias-Electricity-crisis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ibirogba |first1=Eniayo |title=Solving Nigeria’s electricity crisis through alternative energy sources |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=2018 |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2018/08/NGI-Solving-Nigerias-Electricity-crisis.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ibirogba2018solving, author = {Ibirogba, Eniayo}, title = {{Solving Nigeria’s electricity crisis through alternative energy sources}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2018}, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2018/08/NGI-Solving-Nigerias-Electricity-crisis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }