Nigeria has intensified investments in electricity transmission infrastructure, strategic partnerships and innovative financing to support its ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the government was prioritising improvements to the national grid to boost electricity supply, strengthen reliability and support economic activities across the country.
Tegbe disclosed this on Thursday at the 6th Annual Conference of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja.
According to him, the government’s power sector roadmap rests on four key pillars: grid stabilisation, sector liquidity and sustainability, asset optimisation, and grid expansion.
He revealed that more than 15,000 megavolt-amperes (MVA) of transmission capacity had been added to the national grid between 2023 and October 2026.
FG Raises ₦1.23trn to Clear Electricity Debts
On efforts to address the financial challenges facing the power sector, Tegbe said the government had raised ₦1.23 trillion under a ₦3.3 trillion debt settlement plan approved to clear verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation companies.
The initiative is expected to ease financial pressure on power generators, strengthen their ability to pay for gas supplies and support the maintenance of generating plants.
The minister also disclosed that the Presidential Metering Initiative had supplied more than 2.8 million electricity meters to reduce revenue losses associated with unmetered consumption.
Meanwhile, the Rural Electrification Agency has continued connecting universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power.
Tegbe, however, identified infrastructure vandalism as a major threat to the sector, warning that attacks on electricity facilities damage critical assets and disrupt power supply.
Private Investment Key to $1trn Economy Target
Managing Director of FGN Power Company Limited, Kenny Anuwe, said Nigeria could not achieve its $1 trillion economic ambition if the government continued to provide almost all the investment required in the electricity sector.
He stressed that reliable and affordable electricity remained fundamental to achieving the country’s economic growth target.
Anuwe’s remarks highlighted the importance of attracting private sector investment to complement government funding and accelerate improvements across the power industry.
TCN Increases Transmission Capacity to 8,700MW
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) disclosed that its electricity transmission capacity had increased from approximately 7,000 megawatts (MW) to 8,700MW.
Citing figures from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the company put Nigeria’s installed electricity generation capacity at 13,625MW, while the highest electricity ever delivered to the national grid stood at 5,801.84MW.
TCN also revealed that it commissioned 82 transformers between January 2024 and November 2025, adding approximately 8,500MVA to the transmission network.
The projects were supported by more than $1.4 billion in multilateral financing.
The company rejected claims that transmission infrastructure was primarily responsible for Nigeria’s electricity shortfall, arguing that the major constraint was the availability of power generation.
FG Targets 6,000MW Transmission Capacity by December
The Federal Government has set a target of transmitting 6,000MW of electricity through the national grid by December 2026.
Reaffirming its commitment to expanding the network, TCN maintained that the transmission infrastructure was ready and continued to expand.
The government’s broader electricity investment drive is expected to strengthen power delivery, support businesses, attract investment and improve the operating environment for industries.
Achieving the $1 trillion economy target by 2030, however, will depend partly on sustained improvements in electricity generation, transmission and distribution across Nigeria.
