The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Federal Ministry of Power signed a memorandum of understanding to unlock N115 billion in investment in Nigeria to tackle electricity challenges.
The Power Ministry announced on Wednesday that Melissa Jones, the Director of USAID’s Nigeria Mission, and Mahmuda Mamman, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, had signed the MOU.
Accordingly, the investment is part of a US government grant-funded technical assistance programme intended to support power sector development and reforms in Nigeria.
“Today’s goal is to strengthen collaboration between USAID and the Federal Government of Nigeria and to provide a framework for our partnerships with other key actors, including state and local governments, the electricity generation and distribution sectors, and the off-grid sector. It is laudable and timely,” Jones stated.
Speaking about the investment in Nigeria, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, expressed gratitude for USAID’s continued support in ending Nigeria’s power sector challenges.
“This partnership with USAID is a significant milestone in the journey towards achieving a sustainable and reliable electricity supply for all Nigerians. Together, we will tackle the longstanding challenges in the power sector, ensuring transparency, enhancing market liquidity, and accelerating our transition to clean energy solutions,” he stated.
“The ministry is committed to ensuring these interventions deliver tangible benefits to all Nigerians, promoting economic growth and sustainable development,” it stated.
The development comes as Nigeria’s power sector challenges across distribution, generation, and transmission sectors have continued to fetter.
This is because more than 85 million Nigerians have no access to grid power, and many have suffered from unreliable power supply decades after privatization in 2013.
