Nigeria’s Electricity Crisis Worsens Amid Grid Failures, Soaring Generator Use

Nigeria has the world’s largest population without electricity—over 90 million people—due to decades of underinvestment and deep dysfunction in its power sector. The national grid, historically unreliable and capped at around 6GW, lags far behind demand, forcing reliance on costly, polluting generators that supply over twice as much power as the grid. Privatisation attempts have largely failed, and even well-funded partnerships, like the Siemens-Nigeria deal, remain stalled. While off-grid solar projects show promise, they risk further eroding support for the centralized grid. Without urgent structural reforms, Nigeria’s economic growth and public services will remain severely constrained by chronic power shortages.

The Economist